For “favoring” informal settlers, Farmers sue agrarian reform officials

CEBU, Philippines - A group of farmers yesterday filed at the Ombudsman-Visayas criminal and administrative complaints against the officials of the Cebu Provincial Agrarian Reform Office for allegedly giving advantage to the informal settlers in Talisay City.

The Lumad Mohon, Pooc, Candayo Irrigators and Farmers Association (LIMOPOCA-IA), through its president Ireneo Leuterio, of Barangay Pooc in Talisay City, complained that the officials refused to handle the ejection case that it filed against the informal settlers.

Leuterio said the action of the officials, headed by Isaganie Yee, was unjust to the farmers. “Yee is mandated by his office to give free legal assistance to us (farmer-beneficiaries) yet he abandoned and forsaken his obligation in order to favor the illegal settlers. His reason that his office maybe perceived as bias is too lame and without merit,” the affidavit of complaint reads.

The other respondent in the complaint was Cebu Provincial Agrarian Reform's Legal Assistance Division chief, Alvin Arante.

The farmers, after over 20 years of struggle, were awarded certificates of title over their respective farm lots in 2008. However, despite their efforts to protect their land, informal settlers intruded into their properties and occupied these without their consent.

In 2009, they reported the matter to the Provincial Agrarian Reform Office (PARO) and the Department of Agrarian (DAR) Legal Division in 2009 and asked for assistance to eject the informal settlers but then no action was taken then.

“To expedite the solution of our problem, we decided to take initial steps towards the ejectment of these informal settlers by filing complaints against them before the Office of the Katarungang Pambarangay of Mohon, Talisay City and sending them demand letters to vacate,” the farmers said in their affidavit.

In 2010, the farmers said Yee told them that the matter was already referred to Arante, but the latter told them to complete their documents first and pay P5,000 for filing fee that they were able to settle the following year.

However, they said they later found out that Arante was allegedly asked them excess amount because the filing fee was only P2,000 plus. “It appears that the filing fees are lesser than what PARO Yee and Atty. Arante asked from us yet we do not receive any refund of the unused amount,” the affidavit reads.

For this reason, the farmers filed cases of violation of code of conduct of public officials, anti-graft and the  comprehensive agrarian reform law against the respondents. (FREEMAN)