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Thursday, November 29, 2007
Syndicate offers Dapecol for loan
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- A land syndicate victimizing rich people in Davao del Norte by selling properties with fake titles has reportedly attempted to offer a property to a bank in Davao City as collateral for a loan.
An official of a bank, who requested anonymity, told Sun.Star Davao Wednesday that a group tried to offer a 1,600-hectare property within the Davao Penal Colony (Dapecol) in Sto. Tomas as collateral for a loan.
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The same property was earlier offered by the same group to the Provincial Agrarian Reform Office (Paro) in Davao del Norte for the agency's land reform program.
But the bank official said the group failed to file all the requirements needed for a loan application, thus the rejection.
"The group did not pursue, maybe because of some requirements they don't have. (The group submitted) survey plan only. I cannot remember their names, two men and a woman. They went to our bank about five months ago," the bank official said.
The official said that when bank officials demanded a land title from the three, they did not return to his office anymore.
"They did not have a land title yet. I remember the area is inside Dapecol and they have other documents supporting their claims. We asked for the title, they did not show up," the bank official added.
Lawyer John Paul Devilleres, Davao del Norte Register of Deed chief, said the provincial office of the Department of Agrarian Reform have already identified the suspects in the land scam.
He said they are known as the Domingo Group, selling fake land titles under the name of a certain Damian Domingo.
Devilleres said at least eight persons have already been victimized by the Domingo Group. He said each victim shelled out at least P100,000.
Devilleres said the modus operandi of the group is to present to its victims a title of a land located within the Davao Penal Colony. The group will then convince their victims to be part owner of the land by giving monetary contribution.
"Yung ibang biktima sabihan nila na sila ang magiging beneficiaries once malagay na sa Carp yung lupa," Devilleres said. (They tell the other victims that they can be beneficiaries of the land once it is placed under Carp.)
He cautioned the public not to fall into such a trap since the Dapecol land is "exempted" from Carp since it has been declared a government land and no one can be given a title to it.
The Domingo Group reportedly duped some officials of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Davao del Norte.
Devilleres cautioned the Paro headed by Nicasio Lemente to be careful in its dealings with people who claim vast tracts of land and present land titles to support such.
It was learned that a group earlier presented to Paro a land title for a 1,600-hectare property in Santo Tomas town. The group allegedly offered the land to the Paro for the agency's 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 the poor farmers.
The issue reached Malacañang and it readily ordered verification of the land title, which was later discovered to be spurious.
"Please be informed that as 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 he already reported the incident to the Tagum City Police Office and the National Bureau of Investigation for proper investigation. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (November 29, 2007 issue)
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