Presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte chants “Mabuhay ang Moro people!” before entering his vehicle after his campaign rally in Cotabato City on Saturday. Majority of the Bangsamoros in the event expressed support for Duterte for his clear stance on resolving the Mindanao conflict.(MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — A presidency by PDP Laban standard-bearer Rodrigo Duterte shall provide socialized housing for homeless Filipinos, but will not condone illegal settlers, especially those with connections to land-grabbing syndicates.
PDP Laban spokesperson Atty. Paola Alvarez stressed this today, saying Duterte and his running mate Alan Peter Cayetano shall put a stop once and for all to those who, illegally and oftentimes by the use of force, take the land of others, including those owned by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
“OFWs are the most vulnerable to the nefarious activities of illegal settlers with ties to syndicates according to reports and complaints reaching the office of Senator Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III,” said Alvarez.
“Our OFWs work long years on foreign soil only to find out that the properties they’ve bought with money earned from their blood, sweat and tears had been taken over by illegal settlers,” added Alvarez.
Alvarez said that Sen. Pimentel, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, has emphasized that while all Filipinos must be afforded roofs over their heads, this should not be accomplished by trampling on the rights of legitimate property owners.
The lawyer lamented that land-grabbing victims are ironically prevented by law, specifically Republic Act No. 7279 or the Urban Housing Act of 1992, from getting back what is rightfully theirs.
A provision of the law, which stipulates that illegal settlers to one’s land cannot be removed unless government has provided them a relocation site, has been abused by so-called “professional squatters” to stay on land-grabbed properties.
“If Duterte and his vice presidential running mate, Alan Peter Cayetano, can reclaim our streets from criminals and drug fiends in three to six months, then there’s little doubt that land-grabbers have reasons to be afraid,” said Alvarez.
“But Congress must work closely with the next administration to plug loopholes in laws that are being exploited by illegal settlers and land-grabbers,” she added.
Alvarez cited a case in Antipolo City where the Engineering Office issued last year a notice of violation of Presidential Decree Section 301 in relation to Section 309 of the National Building Code against a certain Commodore Daniel Trinidad Delgado for not having a building permit.
Both the Antipolo Mayor and Assessor had stated that Delgado is not a real estate taxpayer in Antipolo and does not own any land in Antipolo.
Delgado and Rachel Mabaggu, his alleged land seller, claim that they own vast tracts of land in Antipolo. But the Land Registration Authority has stated that the land title number that Rachel Mabaggu allegedly owns does not exist. In fact, Mabaggu is in the list of squatting syndicates as reported by the Philippine government.
Although Delgado does not have lawful ownership of land in Antipolo City, he has gates, fences, and a 2-storey house of approximately 400 square meters or 4,000 square feet built in the area.
There are more than 700 parcels of land in Kay Ugat and Everly Subdivision that Delgado claims he owns.
The HUDCC has listed Bernardo and Rachel Mabaggu as part of the land squatting syndicates in the area.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas also owns two parcels of land in the area, so it is also a landgrabbing victim. The first property has Property Identification Number (PIN) 008-0427-275 and Tax Declaration No. AR 008 15004 while the second property has Property Identification Number (PIN) 008 0448 207 and Tax Declaration number AR 008 15247.
Another victim of landgrabbing is Zosimo Laurel Contreras, grandson of President Jose Laurel and first cousin of the late VP Salvador Laurel. His property is in Tagaytay.
After his testimony in the hearing of the foreign affairs committee of the US Congress, Contreras sued and won. The land grabbers were evicted by the court but after few days the land grabbers came back and told him: Sue us again. The Laurels went back to Philippine authorities and they were helpless. To date no one wants to help them and the land grabbers are still there.
Zosimo Laurel Contreras is asking: Where is justice and the rule of law in the Philippines?
There’s only one conclusion here: Philippine authorities are scared of the land grabbers.
The Antipolo city prosecutor is still in the process of raffling off the case for trial. But it has been 60 days and the case has not yet assigned up to now.
Delgado did not attend the preliminary investigation and arraignment although he was called twice to appear before the Antipolo City Prosecutor. This shows that Delgado utterly disrespects the law.
Senators Pimentel and Cayetano and Mayor Duterte are well aware of the problem, according to Alvarez, and the three intend to do something about it through close legislative-executive coordination. (MNS)