PTA reviews ownership of 354-ha Marcos Park

Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) general manager Nixon Kua ordered yesterday a review of the agency’s ownership of the 354-hectare Marcos Park in Tuba, Benguet.

Kua gave the directive as he noted the observations of a Benguet court that the property was taken from Ibalois despite being part of their ancestral domain.

He instructed the PTA’s legal department to review the legal basis and history of the agency’s acquisition of the Marcos Park, and study the possibility of forging a compromise agreement which would prevent a protracted legal battle that would be inimical to the interests of both the government and the Ibalois.

"We feel that the interests of the government and the Ibalois would be better served if the parties (would try) to resolve this case which has dragged on for more than two decades now. We’re willing to do that but we must first ascertain if, indeed, there was anything irregular in the circumstances that attended the acquisition of the property in question," Kua said.

He said the Marcos Park is integral to the tourism industry since it is strategically located and could help spur economic growth not only in the Baguio-Benguet area but also in the entire northern Philippines.

Kua noted that tourist arrivals in northern Philippines is on the upswing in the wake of the Abu Sayyaf kidnappings in the South.

He, however, said the legal conflict over the Marcos Park has hindered efforts to propel tourism in that area.

"We want to prop up tourism in Benguet and also ease the suffering of people who may have been adversely affected by government action in the past," he added.

"After all, tourism is more than just about activities and scenic spots but a means toward the uplifting of the social and economic conditions of our countrymen," he added.

At present, the PTA and the Ibalois are locked in a legal battle over the Marcos Park property with the Ibalois claiming that the government forcibly took the property from them in 1976.

A Benguet court noted in the land case which the PTA filed against Ibaloi Samuel Ino Kimonis, that the natives were driven out of the land where the Marcos Park now stands, during the martial law years.