CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga: Tarlac authorities have reiterated their petition to take political control of 3,325 hectares of the Clark Freeport’s Sacobia subzone whose natural resources and investment opportunities are being enjoyed by Pampanga province.

Gov. Vic Yap of Tarlac explained in an interview here last week that Tarlac has waited 16 years from 1993 to take political control and authority over land in the Sacobia Estate, Barangay San Vicente, Bamban, Tarlac, whose quarrying operations and other investment projects are being administered by Pampanga, particularly by the municipal government of Mabalacat.

According to the Tarlac provincial board, the Tarlac areas were erroneously classified as belonging to Pampanga in general and to Mabalacat in particular.

Tarlac provincial board officials explained in a position paper that upon the discovery of the “wrongful and unlawful annexation” of a portion of their territory, they initiated a series of administrative remedies for its recovery, but with no results.

Last week, the provincial boards of the two provinces agreed to hold a dialogue at the Clark Freeport Convention Center but the Pampanga board members missed the meeting.

In July 2001, Mayor Leonardo Asuncion of Bamban, Tarlac, initiated a series of meetings with Pampanga officials who promised to turn over the erroneously claimed land to Tarlac subject to a condition that Tarlac officials shall present official documents to prove their claim.

Despite the submission of official documents from the Department of Natural Resources and the Clark Development Corp., the government agency that controls the Sacobia subzone, Pampanga and Mabalacat failed to turn over the disputed area to the Tarlac government, Yap said.

On June 21, 2006, Tarlac provincial board authorities filed a case for the settlement of the boundary dispute before the Joint Sangguniang Panglalawigan of the Provinces of Pampanga and Tarlac.

The dispute covers the boundary of the two provinces. Governor Yap said that if the boundary issue is not settled, Tarlac would continue to lose earnings from the quarry operations,

Tarlac officials, especially Yap, are appealing to CDC authorities to help settle the boundary dispute for the benefit of the two provinces.