Friday, January 11, 2008 Ex-senator orders local officials to leave town hall By Edmund B. Sestoso
PAMPLONA, Negros Oriental -- In what could be a unique case, local officials occupying a town hall that is allegedly built on private land owned by a former senator based in Cebu City have been the subject of a notice of eviction.
The officials have been ordered to immediately vacate the area they are presently occupying.
Recently, the Pamplona Plantation Holdings Inc. sent a notice to local officials saying it is taking back the piece of land now being occupied by residents, business establishments, a local church, and the town hall.
In a formal letter notice sent to Mayor Apolinario "Jun" Arnaiz, former senator John Osmeña--company president, urged local government officials to buy the land for P3,000 per square meter or negotiate with Pamplona Plantation on the possibility of leasing the land.
Osmeña in the same letter explained to the mayor that they are conducting an inventory of their plantation properties and will seek legal actions from the court to evict those occupying their land.
The former senator explained that the infrastructures built in the land were constructed prior to his term as company president. Osmeña assumed the company's presidency in 1992.
The company is claiming ownership of the piece of land near the national highway, from the municipal hall going eastward to the property of former mayor Douglas Diago and which has an area of more than 40 hectares.
Aside from the town officials, residents in the affected area expressed fear they would have nowhere else to go in the event that the company will pursue moves to evict them from the land.
The mayor has not yet issued any statement regarding the controversy.
