(Photo grabbed from CTV3 News)
CLARK FREEPORT — Mayor Malou Lacson of Magalang, Pampanga has sought the help of the provincial government on a 50-hectare land at the foot of Mt. Arayat in Barangay Ayala which has remained squatted on by 28 structures, including posh houses and resorts, amid shortage of government areas for tourism and agriculture in her town.
“The occupants include rich people who have remained steadfast in their claim based on questionable documents to justify their occupancies. But there is no question the 50 hectares belong to the local government,” Lacson said during the Balitaan Forum forum of the Capampangans in Media, Inc. here last Friday.
Lacson said she has tried various tacks to convince the squatters to give way to the local government which has already mapped out plans for the area, but her efforts came to naught.
“I have already sought the help of the provincial government on the issue,” she said.
Lacson said the local government laid out plans to transform parts of the land to tourism projects and plantation for a sweet tamarind variety which is reputed to be sweeter than the famous Bangkok tamarind.
She cited plans for the tamarind plantation in coordination with the Sweet Tamarind Center of the Pampanga State Agricultural University in her town. She said she looked forward to exporting processed tamarind products.
She cited studies indicating that planting 100 trees in a hectare can yield P100,000 annually and that the food importers from Europe and around Asia Pacific have already expressed interest in her plans.
