Farmers to 'attack,' overrun Lopez property
Over 430 farmers "armed" with government-issued Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA), shovels and bags of organic fertilizer are set to "take over" today, Monday, a vast mango plantation in the Province of Guimaras.
An apparent offshoot of last year's similar "take over," the farmers are recognized beneficiaries of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) following years of unresolved land dispute here. The subject property is the 119-hectare lot owned by the AFC Agri-business Corporation in Barangay Supang, Buenavista. In a report, The News Today (TNT) learned though that the area has since been under the Guimaras Land Incorporated of the wealthy Lopez clan eyed for conversion from a mango plantation into an agro-industrial and eco-tourism site. It was not immediately clear if plans will be pursued with the CLOA- issuance to the farmers.
From an initial 236 beneficiaries, the number rose to 431 in a lengthy legal battle that stemmed from the decade-long application for coverage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).It was in 1996 when the farmer-beneficiaries first got its "Notice of Coverage" however sometime in 2004, word got out on the application for conversion. Questions and objections then abound as to why such was still accepted by the DAR in said island-province.
Farmer-beneficiary Ray Fadamig led the group in last year's "take over" and comes back anew for today's similar action. His group, TNT learned, is out to do massive farming today and in the coming days inside the plantation saying "this land is ours. We have the right to be here."
TNT learned that a case for "illegal entry" was filed against the farmers as a result of last year's "take-over" and awaits resolution before the probe body in the regional DAR office. However, an insider from the island said such has since been dismissed. Sources also said while the farmers will not be barred entry in this latest action, yet another case for trespassing is in the offing. It was not known whether the complaining party will be the government thru DAR or the property owners.
The CLOAs, same sources told TNT, has yet to really be in the farmers' hands. When verified, an informant from the beneficiaries' group said they are in possession of certified true copies of such.
The farmers are residents of five barangays in the Municipality of Buenavista namely Barangay San Pedro, Barangay McLain, Barangay Mabini, Barangay Supang and Barangay New Poblacion. With their CLOAs closeby, the group are confident that they will not be barred entry as they vowed to insist on the "take over."
To recall, the conversion of the property met resistance in the Guimaras Provincial Board where it failed to get the corresponding nod in the request to reclassify such from agricultural to non-agricultural.
Other problems that also came to view was the May 31, 2004 land valuation survey sought, its results then long-delayed. The lack of the land valuation deterred then the farmer-beneficiaries in processing its payment on the land under dispute.