Question & AnswerQ&A (PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 569)
Presidential Decree No. 569, issued on October 30, 1974, creates a Committee to expropriate the Dagat-dagatan lagoon and its adjacent areas for development as a permanent relocation site and for residential, industrial, and commercial use.
The President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in him by the Constitution, has the authority to create the Committee.
The main purpose is to develop the area into a permanent relocation site for families affected by the Tondo Foreshore Urban Renewal Program and to establish a residential area and industrial/commercial complex for economic upliftment.
The Committee is composed of representatives from the Office of the Solicitor General as Chairman, National Housing Corporation (Vice-Chairman), and members from the Department of National Defense, Bureau of Lands, Department of Agrarian Reform, Land Registration Commission, Bureau of Public Works, Provincial Assessor's Office Rizal, Caloocan City Assessor's Office, and Register of Deeds of Rizal and Caloocan City.
The Committee is tasked to conduct negotiations with property owners, secure offers, recommend payment methods, initiate expropriation proceedings for non-negotiable properties, subpoena owners or representatives, request attendance from government representatives, and submit reports to the Executive Secretary within 45 days.
The Dagat-dagatan lagoon and adjacent areas are identified as a relocation site for families affected by the Tondo Foreshore Urban Renewal Program according to the plans defined by its project team.
The Committee may initiate and institute necessary steps to expropriate certain private properties that cannot be negotiated, following approved plans.
The Executive Secretary receives recommendations on the manner of payment for properties and the Committee must submit its report to him within forty-five (45) days from the effectivity of the order.
The Committee is empowered to subpoena property owners or their representatives to appear before it and to request attendance or materials from government agency representatives to assist in its objectives.
An initial amount of thirty million pesos (P30 million) was released to the Bureau of Public Works to start reclamation of the area.