| End trial by media! |  |  |  |
| Sunday, 14 February 2010 19:04 |
NATIONAL Commission on Indigenous Peoples Chairman (NCIP) Eugenio A. Insigne speaks candidly, yet very carefully. It’s as if the chief makes sure every word he says doesn’t hurt anyone, even himself. Like a wounded tiger, the NCIP head has come out to parry the accusations being hurled at him like poisoned spears. Inheriting his ancestors’ bullheaded bravery, the full-blooded Tinggian from Abra says he is ready to face the legal war launched by his opponents. But in the proper arena called the courts, and not via media. In an exclusive interview with People’s Tonight, Insigne clarified issues raised by some descendents of national hero Mateo Cariño regarding the clan’s claims over their alleged ancestral land in Baguio. The NCIP chief noted that the case has been published in several dailies, including People’s Tonight. “Why are they bringing the case to the media? They should go to the court if they want to question the NCIP. There’s a proper legal venue for this,” said Insigne. Insigne explained that it is beyond the NCIP to “give back parts of Camp John Hay” to the claimants because their claim has to be endorsed first by the Baguio Ancestral Land Clearing Committee. This is pursuant to Baguio City Council Resolution No. 406, series of 2009 and the NCIP En Banc Resolution No. 090, Series of 2009. “Based on these two resolutions, applications for ancestral lands inside Baguio City can only be acted on by the commissioner after it passes the clearing committee,” he said. He added that NCIP En Banc Resolution No. 060-2009-AL, dated March 19, 2009, dismissed the claims of Mateo’s heirs’ claims for lack of merit, particularly for their failure to present evidence of continuous possession and to authenticate the survey plan they submitted of the area claimed. “The NCIP had carefully studied the pieces of evidence presented and did not issue a CALT to the Paus family in recored time. It took the NCIP six years to study the case from the time it was turned over by the DENR in 2003,” the NCIP chief added. Insigne also revealed that the Cariños have not appealed the resolution during their motion for reconsideration. He also belied claims that graft charges were filed against the NCIP commissioners. He explained the complaint filed was that for grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty. “The issue before the Ombudsman is whether the NCIP can issue titles over an inalienable forest reserve. It is the stand of the NCIP that it can. The DOJ supported the position in the case of LRA vs NCIP.” The NCIP chief revealed that he had gathered from the Mateo Cariño and Bayosa Foundation that “nobody was authorized to come out with such a press release in the name of the family.” “I would like to emphasize that I did not participate in the two resolutions as I was out of the country on an official mission. The losing party in the family dispute has taken their case to the media not so much to win the case but to foment disinformaion and malign those who would follow the rule of law. That they have resorted to extralegal means on the wings of Mateo Cariño, a regional hero and an icon in IP rights, shows the disgraceful extent to which this group will go to further their personal interests,” said Insigne. “I tried to help them (the Cariños). I was the one who filed the resolution to fast-track their claim. Inabutan lang ng clearing committee. I want to make it clear that I have always been sympathetic of their claims. And I had nothing to do with the two resolutions. I never asked anything from them,” stressed Insigne. |
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