DAVAO CITY – After more than two decades of contesting their political boundaries, the provinces of Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur have finally reached a settlement on Tuesday, February 04, 2020 as top local chief executives of both provinces have signed the legislative documents, which officially cemented the agreement of the two provinces with respect to their new political boundaries.
During the historic joint session of the 16th Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Davao Oriental and 19th Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Surigao del Sur held at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City, Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang and Vice Governor Niño Sotero Uy together with their counterparts from Surigao del Sur Governor Alexander Pimentel and Vice Governor Librado Navarro, inked the Joint Ordinance no. 01-2020 as well as the new political boundaries and index maps of the municipalities of Boston and Lingig.
Stated in the joint ordinance entitled “Adopting the New Political Boundaries and Index Maps of the Municipalities of Boston and Lingig of the Provinces of Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur, respectively”, which was based on the compromised agreement that both provinces entered into in 2015, is that “the new political boundary shall be drawn according to the output map utilizing the coordinates in delineating the area to be ceded to the Province of Davao Oriental. Provided, however, in the delineation process, the existing build-up areas belonging to Barangay Rajah Cabungsuan of Lingig shall be excluded in the compromise agreement,” reads an excerpt of the ordinance.
This means that swathes of land in Surigao del Sur will now become part of the municipality of Boston in Davao Oriental, explains Vice Governor Niño Uy. However, only non-build-up areas or those areas without existing structures or communities will be delineated to Davao Oriental while those areas with existing structures and development will remain as part of Lingig, Surigao del Sur, thus, assuring that there will be no confusion in the part of the communities settling in the areas.
Out of the 6,000 hectares of contested land, around 2,600 hectares now becomes part of the municipality of Boston, Davao Oriental. “This is a win-win solution for all of us because this boundary dispute already spans two decades and was not resolved until now,” said Vice Gov. Uy, adding that “This will put an end and closure to the long-standing boundary dispute between our two provinces. Today is indeed a milestone,” he added.
The villages in the municipality of Boston which will get additional land areas are Barangays Caatihan and Cawayanan while villages that will be affected in the municipality of Lingig are Barangays Rajah Cabungsuan, San Roque, and Pagtilaan.
Aside from the increased land area, Davao Oriental also expects an increase on its Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA). “There will be adjustments in the IRA subject to computation by the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Finance. But definitely there will be an increase in the IRA for Davao Oriental,” said Vice Gov. Uy.
Following Tuesday’s historic joint session, the documents signed will be forwarded to the court as basis for its final decision for the case. Davao Oriental and Surgiao del Sur are hoping for the swift court decision in order to execute the new political boundary map the soonest time possible.
History
The boundary dispute started in 1992 when Surigao del Sur questioned the small-scale mining permits issued by Davao Oriental, under former Governor Rosalind Lopez, to several individuals to operate in areas believed to be part of Barangay Caatihan in Boston, Davao Oriental which were later on claimed to be part of the municipality of Lingig, Surigao del Sur, thus, triggering the long-running legal dispute. Although initial talks were made, these eventually failed, resulting to both provinces agreeing that the boundary conflict can be best settled before the court, said ordinance author Davao Oriental Board Member Laureano Taya as he explained the background of the dispute.
Although some efforts were made in the succeeding administrations, the dispute still went on for about two decades. However, concrete results were achieved when it was revived during the time of Former Governor, now First District Representative, Corazon Malanyaon, under whose administration together with Surigao del Sur Former Governor Johnny Pimentel, had come up with a compromised agreement in 2015 during the joint session of the two councils held in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
Following the concept of “hating-kapatid,” among the actions taken, based on the agreement reached, was the creation of a technical working group consisting of a team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and survey teams from both provinces who conducted a ground survey and the placement of monument.
Strengthened Ties
More than just amicably settling the case, ending the long-standing boundary dispute has strengthened the friendship between the two provinces.
Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang said that “This boundary only defines territory, but it will never stop us from working together for the common good of Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental. This is a commitment that all of us should make and continue to uphold, moving forward.”
For his part, Surigao del Sur Governor expressed his happiness. “This had been the dream of my two brothers – Gov. BB Pimentel who just died last year and my other younger brother, Former Governor Johnny Pimentel,” he said. “I am thankful that we reached this agreement. Afterall, we are all Mindanaoans and we are all brothers and sisters. I am sure this agreement will benefit both provinces,” he added.
Moreover, Surigao del Sur Board Member Conrad Cejoco, the co-author of the ordinance, in his speech said that while the signing “establishes where the territory of our provinces end but it is also where begins our friendship, brotherhood and cooperation with Davao Oriental.”
”We have defined the territory of our provinces. But the definition of the boundary of Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental is not meant to establish where we are separated but more importantly where we are connected. For undeniably our provinces are linked not only geographically but also by culture, heritage, and history. We may be two provinces but we are one people so that it is not surprising despite the fact that this matter has reached the courts, ultimately we are still able to settle it amicably through a compromise agreement. Yes, the boundaries defined in the ordinance we will be approving into this joint session. For us we have proven already that we can work together to settle the differences in our boundaries, we can do the same for the development and progress of both our provinces,” he said.
Present during the joint session were all members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the two provinces, the mayors of the two affected municipalities, and the Barangay chairmen of the affected villages. By Karen Lou Deloso/Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan
