Wednesday, April 23, 2008 Arroyo told to give out property to farmers
FARMERS of the Arroyo-owned Haciendas Bacan, Grande and Paraiso on Tuesday stormed Malacañang to force President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to distribute her family’s property to the beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp).
About 20 farmers belonging to Task Force Mapalad held their protest near the New Executive Building at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. They asked the President to order the speedy distribution of the land.
They have been camping out in the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) building in Quezon City since April 17.
A total of 409 hectares in three Arroyo landholdings, namely, Haciendas Bacan, Grande and Paraiso have been subjected for distribution to farmer beneficiaries under Carp since 2001.
Hacienda Bacan is owned by First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, while haciendas Grande and Paraiso are owned by Antonio Arroyo, the First Gentleman’s uncle. The Arroyo family had applied for land use conversion orders on these properties despite Carp coverage to retain the lands and convert to ethanol production.
The farmers staged the protest while a meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) was being held inside the Palace. The Ledac’s agenda supposedly includes the rice crisis and the proposed extension of the agrarian reform program.
Members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) were able to stop the rally after 10 minutes. The PSG later tightened security around the Palace compound.
TFM president Jose Rodito Angeles accused the DAR and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) of conniving to exempt the Arroyo-owned haciendas from Carp coverage.
He said they were dismayed to learn during a meeting last Monday with DAR officials that the Land Bank was asking for issuance of another notice of coverage (NOC) for the 157-hectare hacienda among other requirements before it would accept the landowners claim folder for valuation of the property.
“It was unbelievable. The DAR issued three notices of Carp coverage in the past, one to Rivulet Corporation, one to Representative (Ignacio) Iggy Arroyo, and one to First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. Now we are being told that the DAR should issue another NOC because the Land Bank said there was no evidence that the concerned parties had actually received the notices,” said Angeles.
He said they have documents to show that Rivulet Agro-Industrial Corporation, the declared owner of Hacienda Bacan, approved the voluntary sale of the hacienda.
In a notarized certificate issued on June 21, 2001, Regino Ferrarin Jr., assistant corporate secretary of Rivulet Corporation, certified under oath that the Board of Directors of the corporation issued a resolution approving the sale of the property.
The board also resolved to Congressman Arroyo, administrator of Rivulet, to represent the corporation in any and all to sign all documents necessary to effect the said sale to the government.
Angeles also said, on October 16, 2007, the First Gentleman issued a notarized Declaration of Trust acknowledging that the parcel of land located in Barangay Guintubhan, Isabela, Negros Occidental, consisting of 157,299 square meters more or less, and covered by TCT No. T-10574: is the exclusive property of Rivulet Agro-Industrial Corporation.
The First Gentleman further said: “I declare that although I was the winning bidder in the auction of said parcel of land, I purchased it as the Trustee of Rivulet Agro-Industrial Corporation and I have claimed no interest in the property whatsoever.”
He continued: “This Declaration constitutes my consent to any sale, transfer, assignment, encumbrance, or other charge which Rivulet Agro-Industrial Corporation might transact over the said property, as well as to any request or application which Rivulet Aro-Industrial Corporation might make pursuant thereto, with the relevant government or private entities.”
Angeles said based on a voluntary offer to sale (VOS) scheme, the DAR prepared the landowner’s claim folder and submitted it in 2002 to Land Bank for valuation of the hacienda.
However, Land Bank returned the claim folder to the DAR on ground that Mike Arroyo’s name was not annotated in the title of the property.
The agrarian reform department told the potential beneficiaries to wait for the First Gentleman’s letter of intent to sell the property, and they waited long.
But Angeles said despite Mike Arroyo’s declaration, which should have resumed the process of valuation, Rivulet Corporation applied for conversion of the property last February.
He said the municipal agrarian reform officer (Maro) of Isabela, Jose Renato Defino, entertained and facilitated the application and endorsed it to the DAR provincial office in Bacolod City.
Instead of dismissing the application for conversion because it is illegal, the Maro of Isabela conducted an information drive about the conversion and invited the officials of Barangay Guintubhan, members of Barangay Agrarian Reform Council, and even potential beneficiaries, said Angeles.
He said the Negros farmers had no other choice but to bring the case of Hacienda Bacan right at the door of Malacañang.
“The agencies that were supposed to resolve the case seemed to have sold the farmers out,” he said. (JLCP/JMR/Sunnex)
