Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Alarm raised on Norte land scam By Ben O. Tesiorna
A GROUP suspected of involvement in a land scam in Davao del Norte was reported by concerned individuals and corporations to authorities after it victimized a large number of people in the province including no less than the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
In a document obtained by Sun.Star Davao, Davao del Norte Register of Deed Atty. John Paul Devilleres cautioned the Provincial Agrarian Reform Office (PARO) headed by Nicasio Lemente to be careful in dealing with people who claim vast tracts of land and even present land titles to support such claims.
It was learned that a group earlier presented to the Paro a land title for a 1,600-hectare property in Santo Tomas town.
The group allegedly offered the land to the Paro for its land reform program. Reports reaching Sun.Star Davao showed that Paro officials immediately informed their superiors of the vast tract of land available for distribution to poor farmers.
The issue even reached Malacanang who readily ordered verification of the land title which was later discovered to be spurious.
"Please be informed that per verification with the Vault Keeper and Record Office, that title (TCT 0-1739 allegedly issued in the name of Damian Domingo) is spurious," Devilleres said in his letter to Lemente.
Devilleres said in his letter that the incident has already been reported to the Tagum City Police Office and the National Bureau of Investigation for proper investigation.
Reports of syndicates involved in selling fake land titles have been widely reported in the region. The victims are mostly prominent families with large land holding; however, this is the first report of a government agency falling for such a scheme.
According to a former land registration authority official who requested anonymity, "it is highly unusual for the Department of Agrarian Reform to not notice there was something wrong with the documents."
"Apparently, the local Agrarian Reform Office was presented with the fake documents that they then used as basis for a report that reached all the way to the Office of the President. What is strange is that the property in question was so big and located in an area that had been surveyed many times that it should have been obvious that there was something wrong with the whole transaction," said the former government official.
In his letter, Atty. Devilleres further stated they will be "filing appropriate criminal and administrative cases against the culprits once they are identified."
