Owner of multi-million Guimaras paradise resort speaks up on illegal construction fray
The owner-developer of one of Western Visayas’ major tourism-investment has now come out to clarify issues hounding the project.
Located at Barangay San Roque, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, development works have since been stopped following the serving of Notice of Illegal Construction by the municipal government here. As such, an undisclosed amount in significant losses was incurred yet development works will be resumed and concluded within the year.
Such was the statement made by Helen Clarke, major partner of “La Puerta El Paraiso,” set to become the latest haven of tourists and beach lovers. The stoppage was an offshoot of government’s discovery that La Puerta management failed to secure basic building and construction requirements.
Further still, a land dispute is also brewing on the side. Both matters, Clarke said in a The News Today (TNT) interview, will not stop her from finishing the project, the budget of which she said remains “open.”
On the issue of failure to secure government-prescribed requirements, Clarke clarified that such occurred after entrusting the matter to an unnamed local contact. This contact, she added, was supposedly assured by another associate that construction may start since the application for permits is underway.
She was just totally caught by surprise, she added, upon hearing the news of her project being stopped by the municipal government.
Yet losses and all, Clarke vowed to make good of her vision to have the resort open within the year.
And to avoid similar problems, she told TNT, she is now personally doing the follow-ups and submission of the requirements. She also said that corresponding charges on the fine and penalties set forth by the municipal government have been fully complied. Pressed for details, Clarke opted to keep mum on the amount La Puerta paid to Nueva Valencia Municipal Government.
“I saw the property back in 2006 and fell in love with the place. It was so beautiful... No flatlands then so we had it developed..Ayokong maging illegal ako (I don’t want anything to do with illegalities). I am very particular with that,” she said.
Meantime, a brewing land dispute likewise reached the attention of Clarke involving her property. And the area involved is 17.9 hectares, she clarified, and not 35 hectares as earlier reported.
Disputes there may be, yet for Clarke the matter is not for her to worry.
“I am not really worried. I have all my papers... everything is legal... I got my land title and I paid my real property taxes. Maybe that is a problem between the previous owners and whoever has claims on it. My papers are all legal,” came her confident reply.