“We need to address this… or else agbalin nga barangay ti Kalinga ti Lubuagan.” - Mun. Administrator Tagaotao on DENR data using clean area as total land area of Lubuagan

Tabuk City, Kalinga - Lubuagan LGU officials sought the help of the Kalinga Provincial Legislative Council, headed by Vice-Governor Dave Odiem, on August 6 to resolve an issue concerning the reduction of the land area of their town from 27,000 hectares to 6,000 hectares, as DENR-CAR only considered the clean or undisputed areas.

If only the clean areas are used as the official land area of the municipality, unfavorable consequences will follow suit, like possible reduction of its National Tax Allocation - the budget given by the national government to LGUs to operate.

The legislators, in response, temporarily suspended their session and heard the matter in which Vice-Mayor Oliver D. Dickly spoke of the data that alarmed them, saying the data only took the town’s clean territory or those areas having no overlapping claims with other municipalities.

Municipal Administrator, Atty. James Tagaotao, in his talk to the legislative council, explained that the LGU has been using the 27,000 hectares land area for their Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP). The basis for the said area is the CADASTRO data (systematic land surveys on boundaries of municipality/city) of the town obtained in 2015.

Tagaotao said they were surprised when the DENR-CAR recently visited their municipality with the data showing the town’s clean territory of 6,000 hectares and saying that this might become the basis for the NTA in the next years if no issues are raised.

The issue of using the clean area as the basis for Lubuagan’s official land area and the NTA, according to Tagaotao, if not resolved, will not only be detrimental to the people of Lubuagan and the LGU but will also undermine its claims in boundary disputes.

“Immay kami ditoy apo tapno matulungan da kami… We need to address this since this will have far-reaching consequences for the people of Lubuagan… or else agbalin nga barangay ti kalinga ti Lubuagan,” Tagaotao said as he sought help from the provincial legislators, adding that the issue must be resolved since the DENR-CAR said deadline for settling it will be until December 2025.

Vice-Governor Odiem, Board Members Emilio Kitongan, Glenn Amla, Camilo Lammawin, and the others supported the request of Lubuagan LGU, but first referred the concern to the Committee on Boundaries and Disputes as well as the Committee on Rules when they resumed their session. The said committees, according to the council, will carry out further investigations and later provide recommendations on the best way to address it.

Lubuagan has overlapping boundary claims with the Municipalities of Pasil and Tinglayan, Kalinga; Municipalities of Tubo and Bolinoey, Abra; and Municipality of Sadanga, Mt. Province.

Another round of discussion is expected in the coming weeks, with the legislative council inviting DENR-CAR representatives, Lubuagan LGU officials, and other key officials to help in the resolution of the issue.

*This is a developing story…