Back In 2012, Aliping Promised That He Will Preserve All The Trees When He Develops His Nature And Adventure Site

So, apparently Baguio City Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr.'s project in Mt. Sto. Tomas dates back to 2012 when Aliping (then a Baguio City councilor) appeared in front of the Tuba municipal council and outlined his project which he referred to as a nature and adventure site. During the session, Aliping said "My plan there is first, to develop a nature and adventure site. Primarily, we have to preserve all the trees that are in that area." This is just a portion of the minutes of said council session that were released to the media. You can read additional details about what transpired during this session here (Inquirer) and here (Midland Courier).

I just want to make a quick detour here regarding the minutes of the meeting. Is there a way for a small blogger such as myself to acquire a copy of said "minutes"? The two reports I linked to above directly mentioned that the "minutes" were released to the media. So if there's a media person or anyone knowledgeable about my query who can tell me how I should go about in procuring a copy of said "minutes", I would be very grateful.

Anyway, this development in the Mt. Sto. Tomas issue raises a HUGE question. If the Tuba municipal council has known about this project for over two years then why did we arrive at such a tragic ending? Trees were cut and the earth excavated within a forest reserve. And these were done without the necessary permits, mind you.

A portion of the road project in Sto. Tomas. Photo by the Cordillera Conservation Trust

From these, we can come up with a few conclusions. One, the Tuba council watched the trees get cut without doing anything. Two, the Tuba council did try to do something but they were rather too late. Three, the Tuba council watched but didn't do anything because they were expecting somebody else (DENR, EMB) to stop the cutting. Pick your poison. But be informed that whichever you pick, it leaks of incompetence on the part of the Tuba council. They simply didn't flex their muscles enough.

Still Confused About What's Happening In Santo Tomas? Then This Forum Is For You.

The statesman and former President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said "The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government." In light of these strong words, we remind the reader of the massacre of trees in Mount Santo Tomas. Said environmental crime was allegedly the handiwork of no other than Nicasio Aliping Jr., the top government leader in these parts of the land.

The irony here is obvious. We have a Congressman who was confident enough to burn and cut trees, wound the earth, and pollute the water springs. All these were done without the necessary permits from concerned agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). And for what? An eco-park, the embattled solon said in a recent conference. That's tantamount to saying let's cut a swath through the Amazon forest to establish an eco-park.

Aliping's defensive statements after the issue broke out were also rife with contradictions. He stated on television that the project was by Brian, a brother of his currently based in the United States. It turned out that the project was actually by him. He owns property in the forest reserve (although the municipality of Tuba says there are no documents for such). And in the recent conference we mentioned earlier, Aliping went as far as saying that it wasn't his project that was responsible for the destruction in the reserve. If we recall it correctly, he mentioned private miners, farmers, and some sort of a road widening project.

It would be unwise to fully slap Aliping in the face. Charges have been filed against him but these do not equate to truth. Not yet. Maybe private miners are partly to blame. Maybe small farmers are partly to blame. Maybe that road widening thing is partly to blame. We have yet a lot to know before we can say that it's about time that Aliping be walked to the gallows. However, we can't just set aside the mounting evidence that points to Aliping as the big bad wolf. And it's our right and responsibility as occupants of these parts of the land to make the big bad wolf answer to all the allegations.

We go back to the words of Roosevelt and reflect a little. When Aliping cut through Mt. Sto. Tomas, was he protecting the interests of the people or the interests of himself or that of his brother (whoever really is behind the project)? The other question to ask would be are the people of Baguio and Tuba "strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government"? Such a question brings us to an upcoming forum to be held at the University of The Philippines Baguio. Said forum will tackle the Santo Tomas issue. This is worth-attending because the more informed you are about what's happening to your land, what the government is doing to said land, and what government leaders are doing to said land, the more power you have to ensure that the rule of law is upheld. That leaders do not overstep. That leaders don't use the gift of power given to them by the public to serve their own interests.

Everyone is invited to this forum. The date to mark on your calendar is July 12. Forum starts at 2 PM and ends at 5 PM.

Official Records Say Congressman Aliping Doesn't Own Properties In Mt. Sto. Tomas

Well, this is getting more and more interesting. According to the municipality of Tuba's official records, Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. does not own any property in the Mt. Sto. Tomas watershed and forest reserve. Carmelita Samonte, an employee at the municipal assessor's office stated that Tuba's treasury and real property records don't indicate that Aliping has any property there.

Instead, the 5-hectare area where the road project was conducted was registered as land claims of Felimon Coyupan and Rosalie Leistner. Feling de Leon, Coyupan's daughter has stated that Aliping bought his father's property. Lesitner's property was also allegedly bought by the solon.

This development muddles the case even more. And more lies by Aliping being exposed. It can be recalled that weeks ago, Aliping mentioned on TV Patrol Northern Luzon that the road project in Mt Sto. Tomas was by his brother currently residing in the United States. However, several media reports stated that the Congressman himself owns the property in Sto. Tomas. And that he has a resort being developed there.

Which is which? What is really the truth? Making matters worse is Aliping's continued silence on the issue. He even failed to attend two technical conferences wherein decent discussions should've been held between him and the concerned agencies. However, the fact remains that hundreds of trees have been either cut or burned. The road project cut through mountain slopes opening them up for possible erosions. And sources of water for communities in Baguio City and Tube were either damaged or polluted. In fact, the Baguio Water District said that two of the springs that were damaged can no longer be restored to their original state because they've been permanently damaged.

A portion of the road project in Sto. Tomas. Photo by the Cordillera Conservation Trust

Congressman Aliping Sued By The Baguio Water District For Allegedly Polluting The City's Water Sources

The criminal charges against Baguio City Congessman Nicasio Aliping Jr. in relation to the road project in Mt. Sto. Tomas continue to mount. The latest of these charges is from the Baguio Water District. The BWD filed its complaints against the solon on June 26.

The BWD is blaming the illegal road project attributed to Congressman Aliping as the main culprit behind the pollution of three water springs and Amliang dam. These springs and dam provide water to 20 communities in Baguio City and in the Benguet town of Tuba. Salvador Royeca, general manager of the BWD said that two of the three springs polluted can no longer be revived to their original state.

Also charged in the complaint are the three contractors implicated in the issue - BLC Construction and Aggregates, RUA Construction and Development Corp, and Goldrich Construction. They were sued by the BWD for violating Republic Act 9275 or the Clean Water Act of 2014.

Post by Cordillera Conservation Trust.

Read our previous articles on the issue below:
1) Did Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. Knowingly Allow the Cutting of Hundreds of Trees In Mt. Sto. Tomas?
2) What Happened to Congressman Aliping's Promise of "Pagbabagong Rumerespeto Sa Kalikasan at Kapaligiran?
3) Will The Real Congressman Aliping Please Stand Up?
4) Congressman Aliping Is An Irresponsible Man. Here's Why.
5) This Is Heart-Breaking. See For Yourself The Damage Done In Mt. Kabuyao, Sto. Tomas

Benguet Police Director Rodolfo Azurin Admits Lack Of Coordination With The DENR With Regards To Mt. Sto. Tomas Issue

At the Benguet provincial board last Monday (June 23), the province's police director Rodolfo Azurin admitted that there's lack of coordination between the police and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Azurin made the admittance after board member Jack Dulnuan threw him questions as to why the illegal activities in Mt. Sto. Tomas were able to damage a lot of trees and mountain slopes before being halted.

It's a valid question and kudos to Azurin for manning up and accepting where his camp went awry. He directly admitted that his office weren't able to efficiently coordinate with the DENR. Even better, he is providing a solution to the problem by suggesting that a police sub-station will be installed in the Mt. Sto. Tomas area. Now if only the people tagged with the damage done in the forest reserve do the same and man up like Azurin. The folks implicated remain mum and as long as they remain mum, cleanup of the damaged water sources will stay in limbo.

A portion of the road project in Mt. Sto. Tomas. Photo: Cordi Eco-Center Pine Tree

Congressman Aliping Is An Irresponsible Man. Here's Why.

You've probably heard this a hundred times but we're saying it again because this is serious business. Baguio City's top official has been tagged in a tragic crime against the environment wherein hundreds of trees were wantonly burned and cut, mountain slopes were irreparably excavated, and springs which are sources of water for 20 communities in Baguio City were polluted. You may think that we are exaggerating things but we are not. If you don't believe us, go to Mt. Sto. Tomas yourself and see the damage done. Some photos of the project can be seen here.

Now, here's what's so irritating about the way Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. has been treating the issue. He isn't talking. He isn't addressing the issue at all. He is stalling things. He failed to honor not one but two technical conferences that were scheduled to resolve the issue. The conferences were supposed to give Aliping and the contractors accused in the issue to explain their side. It would've been a dialogue between the accused and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). Congressman Aliping didn't make it to the two conferences. Instead, he requested twice that these conferences be reset.

The first technical conference should've happened on June 10. But Aliping requested a resetting of the meeting so it was rescheduled for June 18. However, the day before the conference, Aliping went to the EMB and asked again for the conference to be rescheduled. That's the second time he asked for a reschedule. The conference is now set to happen sometime in the second week of July. Given the trend that Aliping established, don't be surprised if he asks yet again for the date to be moved.

A screengrab from an Aliping campaign video during the 2013 elections.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that there's no cleanup plan yet for the polluted water sources in Mt. Sto. Tomas. Why? Only the DENR may direct the people behind the road construction project to undertake the cleanup. And determining who was responsible for the contamination has yet to be done. Sure, charges against Aliping and company have been filed but thes is not enough to establish "responsibility" as far as the law is concerned.

But because Aliping has been stalling the technical conferences, the people of Baguio City will have to suffer even more. The springs and dams polluted by the excavations in Mt. Sto. Tomas will remain polluted until Aliping man up and address the issue in the soonest possible time.

So please Congressman Aliping, where do your interests lie as a public servant? Cleaning up the mess in Mt. Sto. Tomas will happen faster if you get out of your shell and address the issue NOW. In fact, the cleanup will probably be happening right this moment if you did not request for the technical conferences to be reset twice. When you campaigned last year, you mentioned protection and preservation of the environment as one of your missions. What happened to that promise?

Sources:

1) Aliping, Three More Charged

2) Aliping Cans EMB Talks

3) No Cleanup Yet For Baguio's Water Source

Have You Seen This Meme? Because It's A Good Meme.

The biggest talk in town is currently of the wanton cutting of trees and excavation of the earth in a forest reserve in Mt. Sto. Tomas. Being tagged in this man-induced environmental disaster is Baguio City Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. Indeed, it's a tragedy. The city's most prominent politician perpetrating activities that not only damaged a forest reserve but affected the city's water sources as well? It doesn't get any more tragic than this.

That said, people can't be blamed for getting angry at the lawmaker. Whether he is fully responsible for the assault in Mt. Sto. Tomas or not, he had a hand in it. That alone speaks volumes about his true character.

Anyway, here's a meme created by a concerned Baguio citizen to remind us how gross the damage was done in Mt. Sto. Tomas. Let's hope that the authorities concerned do their job and bring the culprits to the halls of justice.

Photo by J. Sarfati via Facebook

Will The Real Congressman Aliping Please Stand Up?

Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr.'s alleged involvement in the environmentally tragic tree-cutting and earth-excavation in Mt. Sto. Tomas and his deafening silence in the aftermath are starting to give us more clues into the lawmaker's true nature. The unmasking of Aliping has began.

In the last month alone, we've heard of how Aliping cut and burned hundreds of trees. How he excavated mountain slopes opening them up for possible erosions. How he damaged springs that were sources of water for Baguio City. What makes this destruction worse is the fact that the Baguio Water District (BWD) has stated on record that the city is currently having water problems. These are all allegations of course but the mounting evidence points to Aliping as the culprit.

If the allegations are true, we have in our hands a lawmaker breaking the law in reckless abandon. The tree-cutting and earth-excavations were done without the necessary permits from the Department of Natural Resources (DENR). The irony in this is that when Aliping campaigned a year ago, he championed environmental protection and preservation. It turns out Aliping is the champion of his own interests. He is reportedly building a resort in the Mt. Sto. Tomas area.

Now, the Manila Standard reports that Aliping failed to attend two scheduled hearings on the Mt. Sto. Tomas case. Aliping snubbed the hearings. The report says "The Environment Management Bureau (EMB) in the Cordillera region will rule next month on the administrative case against Baguio Rep. Nicasio Aliping, Jr, who has snubbed two scheduled hearings on the case this month, for illegal excavation in watershed areas, a senior official said on Thursday." Aliping, for his part, wrote a letter to the EMB and basically declined to comment.

Again there's irony here. Aliping co-authored the Freedom of Information Bill which seeks transparency, accountability, and public disclosure in the government. Needless to say, Aliping is not being transparent and responsible in his treatment of the Mt. Sto. Tomas issue. By being mum on the issue, he's trying to protect his own ass instead of giving the people of Baguio the disclosure they deserve.

In short, Aliping promised the people of Baguio that he will preserve and protect the environment. But what did he do? He allegedly cut hundreds of trees in a forest reserve and watershed. Aliping promised transparency and disclosure by co-authoring the Freedom in Information Bill. But what did he do? He confined to himself the information that the people of Baguio badly needs with regards to the Mt. Sto. Tomas issue.

What Happened To Congressman Aliping's Promise Of "Pagbabagong Rumerespeto Sa Kalikasan At Kapaligiran"?

During the heated election campaign last year, Nicasio Aliping Jr. made a campaign video to help him get ahead of the competition. The video began with a rather snarky comment directed towards those who previously sat on Congress and represented Baguio City for the last two decades. He was obviously referring to Mauricio Domogan and Bernardo Vergara. Taking a leaf out of U.S. President Barack Obama's book, Aliping exclaimed "Panahon na ng pagbabago." It's time for change. The people of Baguio City swallowed the bait.

Aliping Jr., to many Baguio citizens, was indeed a breath of fresh air. A new face. Someone to break the cycle of Domogan and Vergara. And so he won and became the new Congressman of Baguio City. In his first year in office, he seems to be doing good. Then the Mt. Sto. Tomas issue broke out. The massive cutting of trees and earth-excavation in the protected forest reserve were allegedly committed under his graces. He owns land in the area. So far, everything points to Aliping as the culprit.

This brings us back to the campaign video he made last year. A portion of the video has the red-clad candidate strolling through a wooded area with the voice-over saying "Pagbabagong rumerespeto sa kalikasan at kapaligiran." Taking the video in perspective to what recently happened in Mt. Sto. Tomas, it's not that difficult to label Aliping as a liar, a hypocrite and one who puts his personal interests above those people he promised to serve. Hundreds of trees were cut. The excavations of the earth opened the mountain slopes up to possible erosions. Water sources were affected. Indeed, it's a tragedy.

Some people are suggesting that Aliping be given the benefit of the doubt. Why? How? The evidence is there. Aliping personally wrote to the Mayor of Tuba about the excavations. This puts his name in the middle of the picture. And the fact that the cutting and excavations were done without the necessary permits, such actions are inexcusable. 

Did Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. Knowingly Allow The Cutting Of Hundreds Of Trees In Mt. Sto. Tomas?

First things first, Baguio City Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. is a lawyer. He was associate attorney for the Pablito Law Office from 1995 to 1996. From 1996 to the present, he's a senior attorney for the Aliping Law Office. That said, we can assume that he knows the law. That you can't cut hundreds of trees in a forest reserve without an environmental compliance certificate from the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. That you can't excavate through a mountain side without an excavation permit.

Yet, most of the reports from the media ever since the story broke out paints a different picture. The EMB has not issued any environmental compliance certificate nor excavation permit.  Hundreds of trees were cut, stretches of the earth were excavated opening them up for possible massive erosion, and a dam of the Baguio Water District was polluted. Two springs were completely covered by boulders and soil from the excavations. All these crimes against the environment were committed and Baguio's Congressman had a part in it.

Rubbing salt to the wounds, Aliping remains mum about the matter. Although it still is not 100% clear that he was behind the cutting and the excavation, the current evidence points to him. He wrote and signed a letter in May 21, the recipient of which is Tuba Mayor Florencio Bentrez. Below are a couple of excerpts from said letter:

Photo by Cordi Eco-Center Pine Tree via Facebook

"Please be informed that the undersigned is undertaking and instituting measures to avoid further damage to the plants, trees, and dam 3 of the Baguio Water District."

"...Hon. Nic M. Aliping Jr., claimant-applicant, has applied for an excavation permit over his claims covered by ARP Nos. 99-001-05853 and 99-001-05854. The application letter mentioned that a proposed road will be excavated leading to the said claims."

Aliping wrote and sent said letter. So he knew that there was cutting and excavation being done. If that's not evidence of his hand in the environmental atrocities committed, then what is? Aliping has also admitted that he owns property in the area and that he has an ongoing project there.

It can also be recalled that when the news broke out, Aliping's initial defense was that the man behind the project which warranted the cutting of trees is his brother who is based in the United States. Notice the inconsistencies here? Aliping really can't be blamed for currently remaining mum about the matter. But this is an issue he can't escape (well, at least, we believe so). The odds are against him and he knows it. He played a major part in the destruction of a forest reserve which happens to be a source of water for the very city he serves. It's also worth mentioning here that on the campaign leading up to his election, Aliping championed environmental protection and preservation. If the allegations against him are true, then he is doing the opposite of what he championed. He HAS to pay for what he has done.

Aliping is not the only one to blame here. The EMB, the DENR, and the Tuba municipal government are partly responsible here. It's difficult to point fingers at them for they weren't directly holding the chainsaws that cut the trees and driving the bulldozers that excavated the mountain slopes. However, it's also difficult not to think that there wasn't incompetence on their part. Bulldozers rampaged in your backyard. Chainsaws felled tree after tree. And you only knew about it when everything's already too late?

Here's Your Chance To Climb Mt. Santo Tomas And See The Beautiful Sceneries Around It

The Kabuyao Tour Guides and Porters Association (KTGPA) has organized a trek up Mt. Santo Tomas dubbed Celebrating Love With Nature. Set for February 28 and March 1, the trek will give participants the chance to experience mountain climbing as well as enjoy the scenic views from atop Mt. Santo Tomas. These include views of the South China Sea, Mt. Pulag, Baguio City, parts of La Union, and Mt. Ugo in Itogon. Also in the itinerary of the trek is a campfire and cultural presentation in the evening of February 28.

Registration fee for the trek is Php1,000. This is inclusive of snacks, meals, certificate, T-shirt, transportation, tour guide fees and miscellaneous fees like environmental and camping fees. If you want to join the event, you can register at any of the following registration venues:
1. Tuba municipal and barangay tourism council offices
2. Benguet provincial tourism office
3. Department of Tourism Cordillera office

Assembly area will be at the Tuba municipal grounds. Participants should be there by 1 P.M.

The KTGPA has organized the trek in partnership with the municipal government of Tuba, the provincial government of Benguet, and the Department of Tourism Cordillera. For more information, you may contact Daisy Gabaen, the KTGPA president at 09107846498.

Photo by karoluscamilius on flickr

Source: Philippine Information Agency