La Mesa housing broke many laws

The waterworks executive housing inside La Mesa complex has no environment permit. It violates a presidential declaration of La Mesa as a watershed and hence off limits to everyone except waterworks employees. Even outsiders with ties to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Administration board of trustees were able to get houses and lots. The site was originally intended for a water treatment facility for millions of Metro Manilans who depend on La Mesa for supply of tap. Diverted, the water concessionaire tasked to build the treatment plant must now buy a new site outside La Mesa for it.

These are among many complaints brought by MWSS employees to the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission two months ago. The complainants held responsible for misdeeds Administrator Diosdado Allado, his deputy Macra Cruz, and other trustees and officers. It was not immediately known if the PAGC has finished its investigation of the erring Palace appointees.

Erection of private homes inside the state facility is misappropriation. Its approvers and beneficiaries can be charged with plunder because of the series and combination of criminal acts. Among these are: misuse of public property, flouting of environment laws, nepotism, not to mention exposing La Mesa to terrorist attack. If convicted, the residents and their patrons face life imprisonment.

That the executive housing has no environmental clearance certificate is particularly spiteful for MWSS employees. A similar project for members of one workers union three years ago was met by public outcry. As a result, the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources shelved the grant of an ECC, effectively stopping the misuse of 55 hectares of forest in Novaliches, Quezon City. Less known, though, was the earlier grant by MWSS trustees of houses and lots to themselves, favored managers, and friends — also without the requisite ECC for any construction project. It can thus be presumed that the residents are polluting the dam waters with seepage from toilet, kitchen and garage waste.

Environmentalists had lobbied with President Arroyo in July 2007 to list La Mesa as protected watershed. As such, the 2,700 hectares of forest and 3,600 hectares of man-made lake became a restricted zone. Only MWSS workers may enter the area, and only during official work hours. But the environmentalists largely ignored the establishment of the executive housing. As a residential area, relatives of homebuyers now live there — a threat to the environment. The residents have the option to sell or rent out their homes, further opening the dam to terrorist sabotage. Coupled with corrupt cops selling unauthorized permits for motorists to shortcut through the dam aqueduct, La Mesa is a disaster waiting to happen. The aqueduct may collapse from heavy vehicular traffic or bombing, and flood Tullahan River, destroying homes in Quezon City, Caloocan and Malabon. MWSS trustees no less made terrorist attack possible by doling housing units to outsiders. Anyone of these might unwittingly host in their home a crazy who will poison the capital’s water supply.

MWSS employees also complained to the PAGC about the trustees increasing their own compensation. These include fat allowances and per diems for too frequent, twice weekly board meetings.

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Nominations are now being accepted for the first biennial Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma Award. The search is open to all Filipinos in the legal profession, especially advocates of social justice, human rights, peace-building, good governance, and honest judiciary. Nominees may be working in government, private firms or NGOs.

The Award consists of cash gift and trophy to the recipient, and a grant to his project or institution to help continue his cause. Nomination rules and forms may be downloaded from www.justicepalmafoundation.org. Deadline for nominations is July 31, 2009; awarding is on Nov. 22, 2009, in commemoration of Justice Palma’s birth anniversary.

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 “Mini-kidnappings” occur frequently in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi. Victims are usually visitors from Manila, including Muslims and members of the Taosug or Yakan descent, so long as they have cash. Ransom ranges from a few tens to the hundreds of thousands, depending on how quickly victims’ kin can raise it and the desperation of the kidnappers. The latter are mostly in their teens or 20s, armed with assault rifles inherited from aging Moro separatists or smuggled from the Middle East. The illegal trade goes on because of inability of the police to track down the armed youths and enforce firearms laws. My lawyer-source, from a prominent Taosug clan, says some cops are in on the racket, as secret protectors and ammo suppliers.

The kidnapping for ransom of three International Red Cross officers in Sulu last January was by abductors going for the big-time. They’ve had enough practice with less prominent victims.

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