Magalong faces graft complaint over Benguet land purchase

Mayor Magalong 07.

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BAGUIO CITY—Mayor Benjamin Magalong is facing a graft complaint filed by a member of the city council here over the purchase of a contested property in Benguet province.

Councilor Mylene Yaranon, an architect, filed the complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman on Dec. 20, arguing that the mayor had proceeded to acquire the 6.3-hectare lot in Tuba town for P120 million from local businessman William Tan even if a part of the property was subject to an ownership litigation.

Yaranon’s petition sought the removal of Magalong from office for alleged “grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority and for conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.”The land, located in Sitio Topinao, Barangay Poblacion of Tuba town, is intended to host a low-cost housing project that the city government is putting up with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

It was meant to be a part of the city’s land banking policy, which was to buy lands in its neighboring areas for future projects, in order to safeguard the summer capital’s remaining forest lands.

Magalong first discussed the Topinao land acquisition with the council in May last year, when he outlined plans for Baguio’s smart shelter project or a new economic zone to be created outside Baguio. The city already owns property in Tuba where American colonial engineers put up its hydroelectric power plants, as well as a hot springs resort.

‘Justice will prevail’Tuba is within a new metropolis composed of Baguio and five adjacent Benguet towns that also includes La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan and Tublay, which was created by Republic Act No. 11932 and is governed by a metropolitan development authority patterned after the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority).Magalong, in a statement, said he welcomed the lodging of the complaint against him “to determine who is telling the truth.”

“I have nothing to hide. All the documents are open for their scrutiny since it has always been our thrust to have an open government,” said Magalong, a retired police general now serving his second term as mayor.

He added: “I am confident that justice will prevail because the acquisition of this lot—[that is] intended for our socialized housing project—underwent a complete, correct and transparent process. Due diligence was observed all throughout.”

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But Yoranon, in her complaint, noted that a “lis pendens” annotation was included in the “deeds of absolute sale” issued to the Baguio city government only in September this year by the Register of Deeds of Benguet province. A “lis pendens” indicates that the Topinao properties were still the subject of a lawsuit filed by another land claimant.

The land dispute was also established at a series of council inquiries conducted in May and June this year, Yaranon said in the petition.

She said the 2.8-ha portion of the lot sold by Tan was the subject of a “quieting of title” petition filed by clients of the law offices of Baldas, Luis, Capuyan and Cayadan.

Yaranon, daughter of the late former Mayor Braulio Yaranon, also questioned the alleged haste in buying the lot without waiting for Tan to work on the reclassification of the property, which remains an agricultural lot. —VINCENT CABREZA INQ Mayor Benjamin Magalong —NEIL CLARK ONGCHANGCO