Liloan keen on reversing SC ruling on Silot case

CEBU, Philippines - The town of Liloan is now seeking the help of the provincial government and government agencies as it wants to pursue the reversal of the Supreme Court ruling on the Silot Bay case.

“There is a need to revisit the ruling of the Supreme Court in light of the constitutional prohibition that ‘private corporations or association may not hold such alienable lands of the public domain except by lease,’” read a portion of the approved Resolution No. 2014-045.

The said resolution was approved last February 13 and was endorsed to the Provincial Board last Monday.

The Liloan Council believed that being a body of water, “there is a need that the ownership and possession of Silot Bay…be reverted to the state.”

The Silot Bay is a body of seawater that lies along the barangays of Poblacion, Catarman, Tayud and Yati in Liloan.

Early this year a conflict erupted between the residents there and MENCA Development Corporation after the latter claimed ownership and fenced the property.

MENCA owns the nearby fish ponds where the water park Papa Kits is located.

Although a March 28, 2007 decision of the Supreme Court said Silot Bay is owned by MENCA, the Liloan government insisted that under the Philippine Constitution , particularly Section 8, “all lands of the public domain, waters, minerals…and other natural resources of the Philippines belong to the State.”

In February, MENCA started fencing Silot Bay causing uproar to the affected fishers and locals who use the area for their livelihood.

“These acts of MENCA Development Corporation has adversely and severely affected the lives and source of livelihood, not only of the residents of the four adjacent barangays, but also among all Liloanons who depend on Silot Bay for fish and other food sources,” the council resolution read.

The fencing was, however, stopped. —/JMD (FREEMAN)