Tacloban City—Construction work along a portion of the Sta. Rita-Quinapondan 69-kV line in Samar was stopped because of uncooperative landowners.
Betty Martinez, corporate information officer of NGCP Ormoc City, Charito R. Cruspero, Lorna R. Cruspero, and Rodney R. Cruspero, registered owners of the property in question, stopped the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines from proceeding with the project in open defiance of the court-issued Writ of Possession dated April 7, 2016.
The writ, issued in connection with an expropriation case filed over the property, allows NGCP to enter, take possession, and acquire an easement of right-of-way over the property of the Crusperos to construct the transmission line.
The Sta. Rita-Quinapondan project will improve power reliability and quality in Western and Eastern Samar. “NGCP complied with all the requirements of the court, so that we can lawfully proceed with the project. The open defiance of the Writ of Possession by the Crusperos frustrates our efforts to provide better transmission services to the people of Samar. The claimants, as parties to the legal case, are bound by all lawful issuances of the court. Their act of defiance only serves to delay the implementation of national development projects like this crucial power infrastructure,” NGCP said.
“We are appealing to the local officials led by the governor, the mayors in Eastern Samar, and the police to support NGCP in addressing this issue. We have the common goal of improving the lives of the people in Samar,” NGCP added.