THE two top officials of Arayat are now trading barbs over the ownership of a real property located in one of the municipality's villages.
Last weekend, Vice Mayor Sixto Mallari Jr. cried foul over the local government unit's seizure of the property he formerly owned.
Mallari is referring to more than a hectare of land in Barangay Baliti that he supposedly bought and developed back in 2018.
He said he purchased the rights to own the land from Barangay Baliti ex-chairwoman Lolita Macapinlac and a certain Antonio Celedio.
In two years, Mallari said he developed the land into a resthouse before he sold it to Sta. Ana town Councilor Ramoncito Barro Jr. in May of this year.
"I owned the property for more than two years and I never had any ownership issue. Although I only had rights, I still felt secured just like the landowners around me," he said.
But after he sold the land, Mallari said the local government through Mayor Emmanuel Alejandrino started claiming the ownership of the property.
On Wednesday, the vice-mayor said that Alejandrino, along with several policemen allegedly barged into the property and told Barro's caretaker to vacate it before it will be padlocked.
"The caretaker told me that he jumped out of the fence as he was shocked and scared of the armed policemen that forcibly entered the property," Mallari said.
During the visit, Mallari said Alejandrino presented a letter, which stated that the property is situated inside the Small Water Impounding System, which is owned by the local government.
This, however, was questioned by Mallari, saying the property was owned by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and gave away rights to temporarily occupy the land.
Mallari cited Sangguniang Bayan Resolution 018 S. 2020, which urged the DA to transfer the authority to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), which will then release the ownership of land to local farmers.
"If it is local government property, why did we have a resolution that urges the DA to transfer the authority to the land to DAR? This only shows that the land is owned by DA and not the municipality of Arayat," he said.
He also questioned Alejandrino's authority to padlock a property, especially if there is no illegal activity transpiring inside it.
"Let's say it is owned by the local government, can't our mayor follow the due process and not just barge inside the property and harass the tenant?" he asked.
He also lamented the supposed singling out of the local government in the seizure of contested property as there are allegedly other properties surrounding it.
"I actually should not be involved in this because I already sold the property but I feel for my buyer and also a friend, especially if I know that they are harassing him to get to me," Mallari said.
He said Alejandrino's action is politically motivated, citing rumors that he will be facing the incumbent mayor's wife in the next mayoralty race.
Mayor: Not yours
In response, Alejandrino on Saturday, September 26, asserted that the property claimed to be formerly owned by the vice-mayor is owned by the local government unit of Arayat.
The mayor said the contested property is part of the 4.1-hectare lot where the local government's Small Water Impounding Project (SWIP) is located.
"It is the local government that constructed the fence and roads around it so how can he say that it was his? This is aside from the fact the property he's claiming to be his is actually inside the Baliti Dam compound which is obviously owned by the local government," he said.
Alejandrino presented to mediamen the vicinity map around the SWIP compound which showed that Mallari's former property is inside Lot 30, which is designated for SWIP.
"This also explains that we are not singling him out. It just so happened that he is the only one that encroached the dam and the other properties he was referring to are outside the facility," he said.
He also disclosed that properties outside the dam tried to apply for transfer of title but were not granted yet by the Department of Agrarian Reform.
Alejandrino likewise explained that he allowed the property to be occupied prior to this year because it was not yet used by the local government then.
But this year, the local government is set to utilize the dam for the construction of a barangay day care center.
"We included the construction of a day care center in Barangay Baliti in our priority projects to cater to children in the barangay and we need to utilize the funding now or we will be asked by the Commission on Audit to explain," he said.
Prior to padlocking, Alejandrino said he talked to Sta. Ana Councilor Ramoncito Barro Jr. -- who bought the contested property from Mallari -- to ask him to leave the property but the latter refused, which forced the local government to implement such measure.
"This issue is just blown out of proportion. As vice mayor, he should know facts because he has access to it but he chose to hit the local government that he is part of," the mayor said.
He also said that instead of playing politics, he urged Mallari to be united with the local government so programs and services for people can easily be downloaded.