inspection schmecksion
i left for tuguegarao monday evening to conduct the ocular inspection of a disputed piece of land. one guy says that he purchased this parcel from its previous owner, while a handful of other families have opposed his claim, saying that they’ve been in actual, physical, and continuous possession of the public and alienable land, for a period of 30 years, making them qualified for a homestead patent. their contention is that the parcel of land purchased by the first party is different from what is reflected in the survey plan. i haven’t the foggiest about legal issues related to land, but i had to see for myself what the fuss was all about. so over and above the opposition of the appellee, i took victory liner’s deluxe bus to cagayan valley. the trip was significantly shorter sans the many pit stops, since the bus had its own toilet, but for the entire 9 hours, i never once left my seat. at 5am, i was already in tuguegarao.
that same day i spent sleeping in my at the hotel roma downtown, meeting with a few officers from the region, and thinking about what i could do on my spare time. the following day, we conducted the inspection. well, at least i saw that there are improvements on the contested lot, which is divided by a series of fences. this essentially debunks the claim of the first party that the parcel of land is not inhabited. but of course, there were still many questions left hanging, so much so that i was unable to draw any major conclusion. after the inspection, the oppositors invited me to have lunch. there were a lot of cuatro cantos and different preparations of duck. i discovered then that duck is pretty bony.
while i went about my intention to ferret out the truth, i came to appreciate the complication of the case, and the importance of the position i hold with the DENR. although my findings will only be recommendatory, my decision will likely decide the fate of many people. and it is for this precise reason why i was exposed to the separate campaigns of people with an interest in the case. even before i left, i’ve heard conflicting versions of the facts, and it has served only to confuse me. i have done my very best not to compromise my good name, and i’ve only lent an ear to the stories, but have done nothing to assure anyone that i believe their narration. the decision will really depend on the weight of the evidence that’s been submitted, and my own perception of what’s right.
after the inspection, i met again with the RTD for lands. then i asked that they provide me with a vehicle so i could drop by the callao caves in peñablanca. this they did willingly, even providing me a guide.
callao caves, however, is a system of 7 chambers of disappointment, at least for a person such as myself with an edge-of-your-seat sense of adventure. i suited up for the exploration. wore my headlamp, slipped into my sandals, and folded my pants. i was never more overdressed for anything. you could explore callao with a pair of clogs. too bad that the sierra/quibal cave was closed. the key, however, is with the DENR CENRO, so next time, i’ll make sure it’s part of the itinerary.
i went back to my hotel. the following day, i got to visit santa ana, the northeasternmost municipality in the island of luzon. from there, we dropped by palaui island, which is said to be a cross between batanes and boracay. although with the little time given me, i had no chance to explore. the road leading there and back to tuguegarao is in pretty good condition, unlike the one in occidental mindoro. of course i am only speaking of the national highway. secondary and tertiary roads branching out from the main one are in pretty bad shape. there are hardly any sedans in the area. along the way, i got to see a fleet of strange-looking conveyances. i was told these are kuligligs: farm tractors converted into sickly, slow-moving trikes. speaking of tricycles, there are none here. what they have are motorcycles pulling two-wheeled boxes. quadcycles, if you will.
while there, we had lunch near a fish pond, and the locals prepared kilaweng bangus which i myself fished from the pond just below. it was easily one of the most disgusting things i had to sample during the trip.
i left cagayan, finally, only the following day, after lunch, and arrived in manila almost 12 hours later, with a few packets of alcala milk candy. unfortunately, none of the pictures i took turned out ok.
that same day i spent sleeping in my at the hotel roma downtown, meeting with a few officers from the region, and thinking about what i could do on my spare time. the following day, we conducted the inspection. well, at least i saw that there are improvements on the contested lot, which is divided by a series of fences. this essentially debunks the claim of the first party that the parcel of land is not inhabited. but of course, there were still many questions left hanging, so much so that i was unable to draw any major conclusion. after the inspection, the oppositors invited me to have lunch. there were a lot of cuatro cantos and different preparations of duck. i discovered then that duck is pretty bony.
while i went about my intention to ferret out the truth, i came to appreciate the complication of the case, and the importance of the position i hold with the DENR. although my findings will only be recommendatory, my decision will likely decide the fate of many people. and it is for this precise reason why i was exposed to the separate campaigns of people with an interest in the case. even before i left, i’ve heard conflicting versions of the facts, and it has served only to confuse me. i have done my very best not to compromise my good name, and i’ve only lent an ear to the stories, but have done nothing to assure anyone that i believe their narration. the decision will really depend on the weight of the evidence that’s been submitted, and my own perception of what’s right.
after the inspection, i met again with the RTD for lands. then i asked that they provide me with a vehicle so i could drop by the callao caves in peñablanca. this they did willingly, even providing me a guide.
callao caves, however, is a system of 7 chambers of disappointment, at least for a person such as myself with an edge-of-your-seat sense of adventure. i suited up for the exploration. wore my headlamp, slipped into my sandals, and folded my pants. i was never more overdressed for anything. you could explore callao with a pair of clogs. too bad that the sierra/quibal cave was closed. the key, however, is with the DENR CENRO, so next time, i’ll make sure it’s part of the itinerary.
i went back to my hotel. the following day, i got to visit santa ana, the northeasternmost municipality in the island of luzon. from there, we dropped by palaui island, which is said to be a cross between batanes and boracay. although with the little time given me, i had no chance to explore. the road leading there and back to tuguegarao is in pretty good condition, unlike the one in occidental mindoro. of course i am only speaking of the national highway. secondary and tertiary roads branching out from the main one are in pretty bad shape. there are hardly any sedans in the area. along the way, i got to see a fleet of strange-looking conveyances. i was told these are kuligligs: farm tractors converted into sickly, slow-moving trikes. speaking of tricycles, there are none here. what they have are motorcycles pulling two-wheeled boxes. quadcycles, if you will.
while there, we had lunch near a fish pond, and the locals prepared kilaweng bangus which i myself fished from the pond just below. it was easily one of the most disgusting things i had to sample during the trip.
i left cagayan, finally, only the following day, after lunch, and arrived in manila almost 12 hours later, with a few packets of alcala milk candy. unfortunately, none of the pictures i took turned out ok.