BIZ BUZZ: ‘Land grabbing’ in Antipolo
A tightly held housing developer has been accused of illegally seizing control of private gated properties near Antipolo’s Hinulugang Taktak in early January, backed by a private army (of about 40 men, at least 15 of whom were armed) who overpowered the caretakers and their families.
Since then, the developer’s troops have occupied and barricaded the area, preventing anyone from bringing food or supply to the caretakers inside. At the time of their intrusion, at least one woman and two children were on the premises.
The 9,000-square meter fenced properties (with two concrete structures inside) consisted of three parcels of land, one of which had been owned and possessed by the owners, a businessman and his family, since the 1960s.
But the housing developer claimed that his company had a title for the same asset after buying the land from a public auction after the old registered owners allegedly failed and refused to pay the real property taxes. He brandished a court document purportedly issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Antipolo ordering the surrender of the old titles, leading to the alleged cancellation by the Registrar of Deeds of the old title and issuance of a new one in the developer’s favor.
But the owners argued that this property had already been litigated back in the 1970s by the same old claimants (cited in the developer’s court case), who eventually lost to the current owners at the Supreme Court level in the 1990s. Furthermore, they have never been remiss in their tax payments.
As such, the owners averred that the developer’s claim was “questionable,” at best, being derived from an old title that had long been ordered to be canceled by the RTC, whose decision was affirmed by the Court of Appeals. The owners stressed that their Torrens title and the intruder’s title could not be traced back to the same mother title that would have caused any overlapping or confusion or justified such land-grabbing.
But apparently, the developer had chosen the wrong group to mess with. The existing owners have geared up for a protracted battle. They filed a case at the local court for the “quieting” of their Torrens titles and to order the intruders, who remain in their properties to date, to pay damages and reimburse their legal costs.
Furthermore, they slapped a criminal case against the housing developer and his cohorts for serious illegal detention, qualified trespass to dwelling and grave coercion. They have the caretakers, some of whom have escaped, to bear witness against the intruders.
Even assuming that the developer’s claim was not questionable, the manner by which the premises had been seized was reflective of the typical use of brute force by land-grabbers we hear a lot about in the Rizal area (not just in Antipolo but in adjacent towns). In other cases, the perpetrators include public officials.
—Doris Dumlao-Abadilla
Gokongweis, Ateneo celebrate milestones
The quiet Loyola Heights campus of the Ateneo de Manila University had a welcome burst of activity last Saturday to celebrate milestones shared by the Jesuit-run university and the Gokongwei family.
These were the 20th anniversary of the John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) and the dedication as well as establishment of the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSLEAD).
The event attended by top officials of the Ateneo as well as Gokongwei siblings Robina, Lance and Lisa and their uncle, James, was held at the Ubuntu Space of the Arete building of the university with the theme, “A Celebration of Generosity.”
Because of generous contributions from the Gokongweis, the JGSOM has been able to pursue its mission to transform students into business leaders guided by the spirit of magis, a Latin word that describes doing “more” and doing “greater.”
The newest point of collaboration is GBSLEAD, which aims to help elevate education through the formation of educators, policy makers and other learning professionals.
These efforts are in keeping with what Lance said his late father, John, who established the sprawling Gokongwei group, had always believed in and continues to inspire the work of Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, which is entering its 30th year.
“He said, ‘I believe that equal access to quality education is the only way to save this country and compete in this world,” Lance said, adding that with all that has so far been achieved by both institutions, he would surely be very proud of all of them today.
—Tina Arceo-Dumlao INQ
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