BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — Amid public debate over social media regarding the ownership of a tourism destination in this province, Gov. Jose Gambito said there is "no boundary dispute over the upland Barangay Malico since it is part of this province."

"There is no boundary dispute because Malico is part of Santa Fe town in Nueva Vizcaya and was never part of San Nicolas town in Pangasinan which is only squatting in Nueva Vizcaya," Gambito said, reacting to the alleged allocation of P200 million by the province of Pangasinan for various projects and services in Malico village.

Gambito said the announcement made by the provincial government of Pangasinan to allocate funds into various projects in Malico is "an attempt by the provincial government of Pangasinan to assert control over our very own Malico village."

Emphasizing that the jurisdiction over Malico village rightfully belongs to the province of Nueva Vizcaya, the governor cited as evidence the Nueva Vizcaya Electric Cooperative which is the sole source of electricity to the villagers in Malico.

Gambito also cited a previous agreement between the two provinces, wherein Nueva Vizcaya and Pangasinan were to contribute P600,000 each for a survey to be conducted by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (Namria).

"We adhered to the agreement and did our part by contributing the amount but then Pangasinan did not follow through, perhaps due to the Namria survey confirming that Malico is part of Nueva Vizcaya," he said.

Gambito noted that the provincial government of Pangasinan may have been so aggressive in trying to claim Malico due to its significant tourism potential.

He said the plan of Pangasinan to build structures in Malico with their P200 million would not be permitted by the Commission on Audit.

"Their provincial funds cannot be used for projects outside their jurisdiction," said Gambito, who is also a lawyer by profession.

"We will be very thankful to the province of Nueva Vizcaya if they pursue their plan of introducing development in Malico. But as a friendly advice, they are just exposing themselves to legal action," Gambito said.

On Pangasinan's claim of Malico as part of San Nicolas town based on a cadastral survey, the governor also clarified that the neighboring province cannot use it as their basis.

Gambito said the delineation of the boundaries of Nueva Vizcaya and Pangasinan as a result of the Namria survey "ended the boundary dispute pursuant to the agreement of both provinces, which agreement, at that point, has already been consummated."

He also explained that the cadastral survey is not primarily intended to determine the delineation between two local government units and that the "appropriate basis should be the Namria survey which clearly shows that Malico is part of Nueva Vizcaya."

Earlier, Pangasinan Gov. Ramon Guico 3rd challenged Nueva Vizcaya to match the P200 million that Pangasinan plans to pour into Malico if Nueva Vizcaya insists that the area is part of their province.

However, Gambito urged the Pangasinan governor to "learn to speak the language of the Kalanguya tribe in Malico before claiming the village."

"The residents of Malico belong to the Kalanguya tribe, and Malico is part of their ancestral domain," Gambito said, explaining the cultural and historical ties that bind the area to Santa Fe town and more so with the province of Nueva Vizcaya.

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