Negros Occ LGU files charges vs "illegal" occupants in ranch

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The provincial government of Negros Occidental has filed criminal charges against 18 alleged illegal occupants at the Negros First Ranch in Brgy. Sta. Rosa of Murcia town.

Provincial Legal Officer Jose Ma. Valencia, also the chief of staff of Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., said Monday they have filed the charges last week before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

The criminal charges against the 18 respondents include illegal trespassing and grave coercion, as they allegedly occupied forcibly more than one hectare of the 159-hectare Negros First Ranch and threatened personnel assigned there last April 2 and 4, Valencia said.

The farmers claimed they owned the portion of the area, saying they have CLOAs (certificate of land ownership award) under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena earlier said the Negros First Ranch lots were acquired by the provincial government from the Arguelles family. It houses the high-bred cows and sheep bought by the Capitol from Australia for the Negros First Food Security Agenda of the Marañon administration.

Decena said they have identified the leader of the illegal occupants as Eduardo Palma, a member of the National Federation of Sugarcane Workers. “We must enforce the full force of the law,” Marañon had said, adding that the illegal occupants at the ranch must suffer the consequence of what they have done.

The governor maintained that the provincial government had bought the farm lots under legal procedures. He said that when the Capitol bought the land two years ago, it asked the Department of Agrarian Reform if the lots have no CLOA, and the DAR replied there was none.

But then only this March the illegal occupants claimed there were CLOAs in some of the lots, and DAR had also reportedly claimed that 50 hectares of the land were covered by CARP.

Provincial Administrator Enrique Pinongan on Monday said that of the 25 presently claiming ownership of the land through CLOA, 20 are not residents of Brgy. Sta. Rosa, but are from Brgy. Canlandog, also in Murcia.

Pinongan had met with DAR provincial officials Monday and explained the side of the Capitol, then gave the DAR officials the map of the Negros First Ranch land that the provincial government bought. The map showed that only the portions that were not covered by CARP were bought by the Capitol, said Pinongan, adding that DAR officials will meet with the complaining residents in Sta. Rosa to explain the matter.

Valencia said there were only 17 families that occupied the 50 hectares within the Negros First Ranch property, about 12 of them were already relocated, and the remaining five families will be relocated, too.

Aside from the criminal charges, the Capitol will ask for a temporary restraining order from the Regional Trial Court to prevent the Register of Deeds from annotating the coverage of a 50-hectare property within the ranch that had been placed under CARP, said Valencia.

What complicated the matter was when the governor wrote to DAR last February 6, asking for a clearance or exemption for the property, the DAR instead issued a notice of coverage, which prompted the occupants to claim ownership of a portion of the land, he said.

Valencia alleged that DAR’s action was a show of “disrespect and arrogance” to the governor, even if DAR had certified that these properties are non-CARPable. If the 18 occupants say they were instructed by the Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer or the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer to occupy the ranch, then the Capitol will include the MARO and PARO in the charges, he said. (FREEMAN)