LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — The Benguet provincial board through a resolution Monday requested President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Vice-president Noli de Castro, chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) to exempt Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) from the coverage of Executive Order 366 that specifies the rationalization of the Housing and Land-Use Regulatory Board- Cordillera Administrative Region (HLURB- CAR).

Leandro B. Yangot Jr., public relations officer of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association (CREBA), presented to the provincial board as an appeal, Monday, that if this executive order will be implemented, the region will be merged with Regions I and Region II in terms of housing and land-use concerns. This also means the transferring of the HLURB somewhere in either region and should be effective on February 9 this year.

According to Yangot, this executive order would be disadvantageous to the region because all housing and land-use concerns will be difficult to appeal if the office will be transferred to either Region I or Region II.

Under the said policy, employees of the said office could be forced to transfer residencies to accommodate their work.

It is also deemed “too capricious” to implement such an order on February 2.

Board Member Juan Nazarro Jr. suggested an option of setting up the office in Baguio City where the employees from the housing boards of Regions I and II could go to. However, another Board Member said Regions I and II will definitely oppose this for it will be disadvantageous for them as well so the region should not agree on the said order.

If implemented, 14 employees of HLURB-CAR, including its director, will be transferred elsewhere. Hence, the provincial board agreed to pass a resolution for the region’s exception to the executive order as soon as possible to counteract on its implementation next month.

The provincial board also expects support from other Cordillera provinces. # Vhon Estillero