Amendments to LOI 867 (May 25, 1979) Re: Construction of Borongan Airport in Eastern Samar

December 19, 1979

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 971

WHEREAS, the construction of Borongan Airport in Eastern Samar will result in the appropriation of lots owned by residents of this depressed locality;

WHEREAS, the lots to be affected were acquired under the Public Land Law and therefore a strip of 20 meters thereof is not subject to payment of compensation if used by the government for public improvements, except payment for improvements thereon; cdt

WHEREAS, the owners of these lots have persistently refused to allow the government to take over portions of their lots, unless they are paid just compensation therefor, and such refusal has resulted in unreasonable delay in the prosecution of the said airport project;

WHEREAS, considering that the 53 lot owners affected are all small farmers and that they live in a depressed area, the government under LOI 867 has decided to grant them financial assistance in the amount of P70,000 prorated to enable them to transfer to other residential sites, but the lot owners claim that this amount is still insufficient for the purpose and appeal that the financial assistance be increased to approximately double; acd

WHEREAS, to meet the demand of these lot owners for increased financial assistance, it is necessary to provide the amount of P72,000 in addition to the P70,000 previously authorized to be released under LOI 867;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, order and instruct:

1. The release of the amount of Seventy-Two Thousand Pesos (P72,000) in addition to the amount of P70,000 previously authorized to be released under LOI 867, to provide assistance and just compensation to lot owners whose lots are portions thereof shall be taken by the government for the construction of Borongan Airport.

2. The total amount of P142,000 authorized under LOI 867 and this letter of instructions, shall be prorated among the lot owners whose lots are partially or totally taken by the government for this airport project, in accordance with the corresponding area taken from each of them as determined by engineers of the Ministry of Public Highways.

This letter of instructions supplements LOI 867 and shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 19th day of December, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Nine. aisa dc