[ journal.com.ph ] June 5, 2008
CITING the conversion order issued by Malacañang, a landowner expressed confidence that his 124-hectare land will be converted into a tourist spot with three five-star hotels. The project will cost $100 million.
Norman Uyham, incorporator of Hennesy Development Corp., said he is hoping that Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman would enforce the Presidential Order that would pave the way for the construction of the hotels that would generate some 100,000 jobs.
Earlier, Pangandaman declared the 124-heclare HDC property at Sitio Marulas, Laiya, Ibabao, Batangas as agricultural land as he ordered the chief of DAR Batangas field office to issue a Notice of Coverage so that distribution of landholdings will be started to qualified farmers,
The owners of the property, according to Pangandaman, failed to make some developments from 1998 to 2003.
But Uyham said that the processing of documents and other legal matters took them several years and finished it four months before the required time, thus making it hard for them to start developing the land. The HDC re-applied for an extension.
On May 20, HDC was able to get a favorable decision from Malacanang which ordered the DAR to set aside its earlier decision and allow the development of the area into a tourist spot to be called Treasure Island Resort.
Uyham also appealed to Pangandaman to look into the operation of a well-organized syndicate led by a certain Renato Malindog who misrepresented himself as a Malacanang man.
Once given the green light, Uyham said that job opportunities will not only be generated in Batangas but also in Laguna and Quezon provinces. Joel dela Torre
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