SAGADA, Mountain Province – The municipal government expressed its gratitude to Ayala Land Corporation for supporting the town’s position for the sustainable preservation and protection of the rich historical tradition of the indigenous peoples (IPs) and their communal and ancestral lands by not planning any development or acquisition of properties in the municipality.
Mayor James Pooten pointed out it is unfortunate that certain individuals purporting to represent Ayala Land led municipal officials and IP elders to believe they were allegedly transacting with legitimate land owners to develop a 20-hectare property in the famous tourist destination.
“Sagada belongs to the world and to all who appreciate what is beautiful. We are just stewards to God’s creation and everybody is welcome to enjoy the place but care for it while you are here like it is your own. And when you leave, remember that you are leaving this beautiful place to your children and to generations behind,” Mayor Pooten stressed.
Earlier, the municipal government joined the IP leaders and elders in voicing out their vehement opposition to the alleged planned acquisition of a 20-hectare property in Batalaw by the Ayala Land Corporation, through purported agents that visited the municipality several times in the past, which will be reportedly developed by the magnate into a world-class tourism resort in violation of the town’s existing unwritten policy that lands in the municipality cannot be sold to outsiders.
In a separate statement, Ayala Land, Inc. denied reports that it was expanding its business operations to Sagada.
“We would like to inform the public that Ayala Land Inc. has no plans for acquisition and development in the town of Sagada,” the company said in a statement.
The statement came after reports circulated that the Ayala group planned to establish a presence in Sagada.
Ayala is engaged in the planning and development of large scale, integrated estates having a mix of use for the sale of residential lots and buildings, office buildings and commercial and industrial lots, leasing of commercial and office spaces and the development, operation, and management of hotels and resorts.
However, sources disclosed that some purported agents of Ayala reportedly approached the daughter of the deceased landowner, allegedly signifying the company’s intention to develop their property and that they reportedly visited the concerned offices of the municipal government twice to ascertain the validity of certain documents relative to the said property being intended to be developed.
Mayor Pooten explained that what is good about the issue is that the people of Sagada were able to unite and assert the existence of an unwritten policy that lands in the municipality cannot be sold to outsiders, except to the closest of kin of the concerned landowners.
He stated that with the issuance of the statement from Ayala that it does not plan to introduce any development or acquire properties in the municipality for possible future developments, the issue will be laid to rest and that the people of the municipality will be able to sustain the conduct of the mandated nature-based tourism for the present and future generations of inhabitants of the locality and for such policy to be recognized by the upcoming generations of IPs from the different barangays.
By HENT