A staunch supporter of the military, North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza, together with Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario, led the recent ceremonial turnover of the Certificate of Entitlement and Lot Allocation (CELA) to the qualified beneficiaries of the 602nd Infantry Brigade (Bde) at Carmen, North Cotabato paving the way for the building of their homes in the future.
To rise soon in Camp Robert Edward Lucero in Carmen, the housing scheme is set to benefit active and retired military personnel. Under the project, socialized housing units are slated to rise on the 182 lots by next year.
This was the result of Mendoza’s efforts when she was still a congresswoman wherein she worked hard for the Presidential Decree (PD) for the reallocation of 20 hectares of property in which 13 hectares go to the local government unit (LGU) and seven hectares to the 602nd IB.
“Today, seven hectares will be awarded to the different recipients of the military – active or retire – in behalf of the local government unit let us continue to unite and ensure that the dream, the reasons why we turned over this and donated this is to ensure peace and security and I hope everyone will make sure that commitment will be honored until many other leaders and officers will come to visit this camp,” Mendoza in her speech during the awarding ceremony.
Currently, the Registry of Deeds Cotabato Province has already issued individual titles for the 198 lots of the project under the name of NHA. The titles are currently in the NHA Region 12-Kidapawan District Office and will later endorse NHA General Services Department for safekeeping.
The project went through a thorough process.
On April 7, 2006, through the efforts of then Carmen Mayor Rogelio T. Taliño and Congresswoman Mendoza, the President issued Presidential Proclamation (PP) No. 1049 Series of 2006 amending Proclamation No. 1804 dated November 23, 1978, by segregating portions of the land embraced therein and reserving the same for socialized housing site purposes.
An area containing 13 hectares more or less was reserved for offbase housing site for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), active and retired military personnel, to be administered by the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) now Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD)/ National Housing Authority (NHA).
On March 10, 2010, PP No. 2012 Series of 2010 amended Proclamation No. 1049 dated April 7, 2006, which segregated a portion of Camp Robert Edward Lucero in Barangay Poblacion and Nasapian, Carmen, North Cotabato for socialized housing wherein more or less 200,002 square meters were segregated for socialized housing purposes while 70,002 square meters shall be used as an Off-based housing site for the AFP, retired, and active military personnel. The remaining 130,000 square meters shall be intended for the actual civilian occupants thereof and shall be disposed of by the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) under the administration of the Municipal Government of Carmen.
A local inter-agency was created under PP 2012, chaired by the Local Government of Carmen and co-chaired by NHA and AFP with DENR and DHSUD as the members.
On December 4, 2010, the 602nd Brigade Homeowners Association was registered, to comply with the mandate of RA No. 7279.
The project also went through a lot of challenges.
It was put on hold due to the delay in the issuance of a Special Patent. The DENR was authorized to issue the corresponding Special Patent in favor of NHA for the 70,002 sq.m allotted for AFP Off-based housing. The Completed Staff Work was forwarded to DENR on September 8, 2011, and on June 16, 2014, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje forwarded a memorandum for then President Benigno S. Aquino Ill, through Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr. requesting the President for clearance and/or reaffirmation on the authority of the DENR secretary to sign the Special Patent.
On May 12, 2015, then Deputy Executive Secretary Teofilo S. Pilando requested the Department of National Defense (DND) then Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin for comments and recommendations regarding the issuance of the said Special Patent.
Gazmin positively responded and informed that he will personally appeal to the Office of the President. The NHA Kidapawan District Office immediately forwarded pertinent documents for the issuance of Special Patent to the Office of the Executive Secretary.
The NHA Office of the General Manager has also appealed to President Rodrigo R. Duterte for the issuance of a Special Patent.
The Special Patent for the seven-hectare property was signed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy A. Cimatu with Special Patent No. 4638 on August 31, 2017, and was immediately endorsed to the Registry of Deeds (ROD) for the issuance of Original Certificate of Title.
Meanwhile, the Original Certificate of Title (OCT) No. 152-2017000588 was signed by the Registry of Deeds (ROD) for Cotabato Province in the name of NHA on September 22, 2017.
The 602nd Brigade Homeowners Association has undertaken the survey works at its own expense while NHA caused the issuance of OCT and the individual lot titles in compliance to the roles and responsibilities stated in the Memorandum of Agreement between the Homeowners Association and NHA.
