Atty. Petierre Says: New relocation site, not covered by CARP
The new relocation site is not covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform program (CARP), Atty. Sonny Petierre, Secretary to the Mayor said yesterday.
The Arao property is non-agricultural and has been designated for residential use under Republic Act 7279 or the Comprehensive and Continuing Urban Development and Housing Program.
It has been certified by the City Council in its Resolution 51-53-A, Series of 1976, for “residential use” and this was reiterated in the City Ordinance 216 passed in 1998.
City Ordinance 735, Series of 2000 approved the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan which was approved by the Housing Land Use Regulatory Board in 2002, classifying these properties for “future urban use.”
This came after Atty. Leon Moya, counsel for the complainants wrote the General Manager of Philippine Veterans Bank regarding the questioned property. “I am forwarding you copies of the Declaration of Real Property Value of the lots covered by the sale between Nellie A. Antigua, et.al. in favor of the City of Bacolod, showing that the said properties are agricultural. Being so, the Register of Deeds cannot transfer title without securing Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Clearance and Certificate of Exemption from CARP coverage.”
Moya has reiterated his request to stop processing and to hold the release of the loan in the amount of P250 million to the City Government of Bacolod, as the matter is now subjudice in DARAB case No. R-00005-8873-10.
The complainants are the potential beneficiaries of CARP to Hacienda Maria Arao, owned by landowners, consisting of 10 parcels of agricultural land devoted to sugarcane, located at Brgy. Vista Alegre, Bacolod City.
Since time immemorial, the foregoing properties have been actually devoted and dominantly used for agricultural purposes and remains as such, up to the present. Complainants know this fact as their forefathers, family members and they also have worked or are still working in the hacienda and have taken residence within or around its premises.
The landowners are absentee landowners who have not applied for the retention of their landholdings as they have been residing outside Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
The subject landholdings should have been placed under the coverage of CARP and awarded to the complainants and such other persons, as shall be found as qualified beneficiaries of the program.
Atty. Petierre on the other hand said the complainants are just potential CARP beneficiaries and are not yet considered and classified as CARP beneficiaries.
“Anybody can just file a case to DARAB more so if it’s meant to delay everything. I considered this move as a delaying tactic on the part of the complainants,” Petierre said.
