Eviction pulls off a surprise twist

CEBU, Philippines - The serving of a court order evicting a taxi firm from the lot it was occupying met an unexpected twist yesterday when a group of men arrived and claimed they owned the lot, as well as the “7,169” islands and islets of the Philippines.

Representatives from what was called the Alpha Omega World Development Marshall Programme brought with them “documents” allegedly issued by the Supreme Court, purportedly showing proof of their ownership of the lot.

“Not only the (lot). We (also) own the Philippine archipelago,” said Alfredo Aton, who introduced himself as a mandate trustee of Alpha Omega.

The Philippine archipelago was said to be gifted by the Queen of Spain Isabel II to a certain Tiburcio Villamor Marcos Tallano Tagean IV, who maintained he was an heir of the queen. Tagean is reportedly Alpha Omega’s “world chairman.”

Yesterday, the Municipal Trial Court in Cities served the two-page Writ of Execution against Carlos Antiligando and Estela Yap, operators of Binibini Taxi which has been renting the 2,204-square meter subject lot on F.E. Zuelig  Avenue as garage and motorpool area of taxi units.

 Around 50 personnel from the Mandaue City Police Office, headed by Senior Superintendent Mariano Natu-el Jr., accompanied court sheriff Cesar Seno during the execution of the order. 

Contract

Based on the court order, Antiligando and Yap entered a three-year lease contract on September 6, 2012 with the couple Mariano and Conchita Go, who were then the owners of the lot.

However, the Go couple sold the lot to Ironwood Property Ventures Corp., thereby shortening the contract of Antiligando and Yap with the first lot owners to just June 25, 2013.

The court order also added that the taxi operators signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Undertaking, stating the termination of the lease contract. On the same day, the Go couple paid the taxi operators P1,300,000 as disturbance fee.

However, on March 26, 2014, Antiligando and Yap wrote a letter to Ironwood “requesting extension of their lease until December 2014 until the construction and development of the area where they will transfer be completed.”

The operators also insisted in their letter that their “original contract with the former owners be terminated in September 2015 and that they did not receive the demand letters” despite receiving the disturbance fee, and signing of the MOAU and the shortened lease contract.

According to Seno, Antiligando and Yap engaged with Alpha Omega after the lease contract was terminated in 2013. Seno said the taxi operators continued paying rental fees to Alpha Omega after the termination of the lease contract.

Antiligando also said he transacted with Alpha Omega because of the documents the group showed allegedly supporting its ownership claims on the property.

The “documents” bore the names of Fred Ruiz Castro as chief justice; Enrique Agana, executive judge of the Court of Pasay; Antonio Noblejas, commissioner of the Land Registration Commission; the late president Ferdinand Marcos, among others.

Some of the “documents,” as seen by The FREEMAN, showed different supposed signatures of the late president Marcos.

Antiligando admitted he did not verify the papers as these were “furnished by the Supreme Court and other offices.”

“Wala na (gi-verify). Kon di pa sila (Alpha Omega) tinuod, mapriso na unta sila. Dapat ang mo-verify ang taga korte, ang taga Supreme Court,” he said.

Conceded

Nonetheless, Antiligando, together with the taxi drivers and car mechanics, vacated the lot without resistance yesterday, according to Natu-el.

"Nag-concede na sila. Ang problema lang karon nga duna'y Alpha Omega nga nag-intervene, claiming nga they own this property... ang ila kay because they own the Philippines, the whole Philippines," the police official said.

But based on the court order, Antiligando and Yap will have to pay attorney’s fees and appearance fees to Ironwood, as well as reimburse its litigation expenses.

The taxi operators will also have to pay P10,000 per month as compensation for their continued use and occupancy of the property starting from the filing of the case until yesterday.

The FREEMAN is yet to learn whether Alpha Omega is a business entity or otherwise. (FREEMAN)