Land dispute to affect Quezon City school

A land dispute between two realty firms has practically divided the two-hectare campus of the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School (JASMS) in Quezon City and triggered panic and confusion among parents, faculty members and students.

The Jardine Land Inc., through the Bernas Law Office, has announced, in a paid advertisement in the The STAR, that it is taking over its property inside the JASMS compound.

Jardine Land said it has acquired ownership of a foreclosed property and it will not permit the school to operate in its premises.

But the Philippine Women’s University (PWU), which runs JASMS, explained that the portion of their school campus which will be taken over by Jardine Land will not affect the school which has 1,500 students this year.

PWU will still own one hectare of the existing campus, which it said is more than sufficient for the needs of the students.

Unlad Resources Development Corp., a sister company of PWU, owned the foreclosed portion of the campus.

In a statement, Dr. Amelou Reyes of PWU said that Jardine has control only of the portion of the campus it has acquired.

Reyes gave assurances that PWU is doing its best to negotiate for a mutually beneficial arrangement with Jardine Land.

Reyes vowed that the JASMS campus in Quezon City, which is now on its 50th year, has no plans to stop its operations or transfer its campus elsewhere.

"The university has built a network of institutions nationwide through which it pursues its community development and continuing education program," Reyes said.