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Sunday, October 19, 2008
400 families protest school’s perimeter survey
TAMPILISAN, Zamboanga del Norte -– Around 400 farming families living in the reservation area of a state-run agricultural school vowed to stop the school’s perimeter survey for fear of losing their homes and livelihood.
Rogelio Corres, secretary of the New Tampilisan United Farmers Association (NTUFA), said “it is disadvantageous to us the plan of the school to conduct the perimeter survey without first addressing our petition for us to be secured in the land that we till.”
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“This is not just about ownership of the land but this is about the lives of the families whose livelihood depends on the land that they occupy and cultivate,” Corres explained.
Last week, the school administrator of the Tampilisan Campus of Jose Rizal Memorial State College (JRMSC) sent a letter to the barangay chairmen of the affected villages informing them that the school will “conduct information dissemination activities on the conduct of the perimeter survey.”
In his letter dated October 9, campus administrator Hermilio Hamak requested “all barangay officials and owners of lots adjacent to the reserved land of the school to attend the forum.”
Then President Diosdado Macapagal signed Proclamation 113 in 1963 “reserving for agricultural school site purposes of the Zamboanga del Norte National Agricultural School…” some 2,330 hectares of forest reservation.
It became a state college in 1964 and was managed by the Western Mindanao State University until its integration to JRMSC pursuant to Commission of Higher Education Order 27 in 2000.
’Prior Rights’
Some members of the association, indigenous people and descendants of World War II veterans, who were settlers of the area before it was declared as a school reservation, asserted their rights over their land.
Tomas Jumawan Jr., a son of a war veteran, said “the proclamation itself acknowledged our private property rights in declaring the site as school reservation.”
“It is very clear in the proclamation that our rights over the parcel of land that we inherited from our father must be respected,” he stressed. The Jumawan family laid their claim of ownership of 60 hectares of land, few meters away from the school campus.
Part of Proclamation 113 read as follows: “…do hereby reserve for agricultural school site purposes of the Zamboanga del Norte Agricultural School subject to private rights, if any there be…”
Showing the documents like technical description of their lot and a copy of their application for land title, Jumawan said: “the family had already spent a sizeable amount of money in court litigations with the school.”
The court, he said, dismissed the case filed by the school against them for “lack of jurisdiction.”
“They cannot show any proof that the parcel of land that we own belongs to the school, that’s why they want to conduct the perimeter survey now so that they can use it against us,” the 56-year-old son of a war veteran alleged.
No Permit, No Rally
The association scheduled a peaceful prayer rally last October 16 at the municipal hall but was denied permit by the local government unit. Instead of going to the municipal hall, the group went to the ground of the local parish where they asked for support from the Church.
“We were planning to hold a peaceful prayer rally at the municipal hall ground to ask Mayor John-john for his help but were denied of the necessary permit,” the association secretary said. Romeo Jalosjos Jr., known as John-john and son of former Congressman Romeo Jalosjos, is the incumbent town mayor.
The mayor later talked with the protesters at the ground of the church where he allayed their fears of being dislocated once the survey will be completed.
He urged the protesters to “allow the conduct of the survey to determine the boundaries of the school.”
“After the survey, we will address each of your concern,” Jalosjos said as he vowed to be with the side of the petitioners when their rights will be violated.
On the other hand, Father Herbert Magaso, parish priest of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, pledged his support and called for “a genuine dialogue between the school authorities and petitioners in order to settle the problem for the benefit of all parties.”
The crowd broke into applause when the priest said “it is important that the issues involved will be clarified and that the demands of the farmers must be appropriately addressed.” (Antonio M. Manaytay/Sunnex)
(October 19, 2008 issue)
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