The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod passed a resolution Wednesday to inquire from the manager of the Philippine Reclamation Authority why the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. was granted an extension of its reclamation rights without the consent of the city.

It also asked PRA general manager Andrea Domingo to recall the extension it has granted BREDCO until the consent of the city is obtained, in accordance with the memorandum of agreement of 2000.

Proposed by Councilor Dindo Ramos, SP chairman of the Committee on Laws, Ordinances and Good Government, the resolution said that the city, the Philippine Estate Authority (now PRA) and BREDCO had entered into a MOA in 2000. The MOA involves, among others, the reclamation rights of the city which it authorized BREDCO to undertake.

The resolution states that sometime in September 2007, the city learned that BREDCO had applied with the PRA for an extension of reclamation rights after its expiration on Feb. 21, 2007, without obtaining the consent and conformity of the city, in gross violation of the tripartite agreement of 2007.

The city, through Resolution 566 Series of 2007, had requested PRA not to grant BREDCO an extension unless the city’s consent is obtained, and this was acted favorably upon by the PRA, in a letter to the SP dated Oct. 2, 2007, it said.

The resolution also said that the city was surprised that, during the hearing of a civil case entitled BREDCO versus the City of Bacolod, before RTC 42, BREDCO presented as one of its evidences the grant to it by PRA of an extension to conduct reclamation activities until Feb. 22, 2011, despite the absence of consent and authority of the city.

It said the city believes that any amendment or revision in the MOA should be in writing and with the conformity and consent of all the parties involved, as provided in item no. 6, page 13 of the MOA.

The grant of extension of reclamation rights to BREDCO by PRA until Feb. 22, 2011 is not in accordance with the provision of MOA of 2007, and is even contrary to the very intent of the letter dated Oct. 2, 2007 of the PRA to the SP and it is therefore, illegal and unauthorized, the resolution further states.*CGS

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