ACTIVITY REPORT 2016-2019

PROGRAM ___ TOP  CANP ___ PDAP ___ RESEARCH

Region
IMPLEMENTING
Danggayan Dagiti Mannalon ti Cagayan Valley __IR __CARCV
PARTNER/S
TITLE OF
Dialogues of Peasant Organizations with the Department of Agrarian Reform
ACTIVITY
INCLUSIVE
December 20, 2016, January 27, 2017 and April 10-12, 2017
DATES
DAR Region 2 office at Carig, Tuguegarao City
VENUE (December, January and April 10, 2017) and the
DAR Isabela office at San Fermin, Cauayan City (April 11, 2017)
TOTAL YOUTH PWD LGBT
TARGET NO. OF
Male 50 20
PARTICIPANTS
Female 50
RATIONALE / MAHAHALAGANG PANGYAYARI KUNG BAKIT INILUNSAD ANG AKTIBIDAD
Sa Larangang
Internasyunal
Sa Pambansang
Saklaw
Sa Lokal na After decades of agrarian reform programs, the land problem still persists among the toiling
Kalagayan peasantry in Cagayan Valley which still has a high land acquisition and distribution balance
of 40%. Prime agricultural lands, fishing grounds and poor tiller-settler’s home sites are
being usurped from peasants, fisher folks and indigenous peoples and reconcentrated to
former landlords, ranchers, usurers, plantation and mining corporations. Peasants are
denied their tenurial and possessory rights. Numerous entitlements are already cancelled
and many tiller-leaseholders are being evicted from farms and homes. Unbridled land
conversions are slowly eroding the region’s superiority as a primary food resource base and
impacting on its ecological balance.

Agrarian struggle flashpoints abound in Isabela and Cagayan as a few elite clans seek to
assert effective control of vast farmlands. Farmers are evicted through land titling
anomalies, court decisions and local government ordinances on land use. Agrarian disputes
are intensifying especially in cases of criminalized agrarian cases and repression of farmers
defending land rights.

The crucial role of the state in the implementation of agrarian reform is never more felt.
Wider, more secure and sustainable access and rights to productive resources such as land,
water, living space, fishing areas and other natural resources directly related to rural
 people’s livelihoods are essential for hunger and rural poverty eradication as embodied in
President Rodrigo Duterte’s social development agenda. The president has appointed Rafael
”Ka Paeng” Mariano as DAR Secretary to lead the agency in fully implementing the state’s
land reform targets. Peasant organizations in seeking to defending tenurial rights and
livelihoods, need to engage the new administration in meaningful dialogue to identify local
agrarian reform issues, address gaps and impediments, enhance enabling factors for agrarian
reform implementation, resolve agrarian disputes and facilitate the provision of necessary
support services for agrarian reform farming communities.
INTENDED OUTCOME

One hundred twenty peasant leaders from Cagayan and Isabela will be able to ventilate urgent local agrarian reform
related issues in select communities with officials of the DAR, enhance their informed and organized involvement in
advocacy and policy dialogues for agrarian reform implementation, protect agrarian reform gains and achieve tactical
concessions, orders, resolutions or agency actions promoting peasant tenurial rights, economic welfare of
leaseholders and land rights of landless agricultural workers.

Thirty land cases will be presented concerning impediments in land reform implementation, illegal land conversions,
ejection of tenants, anomalous exemption orders, anomalous DAR transactions regarding exemption orders, titling,
surveying, amortizing, beneficiary screening or land transfer scams, anomalous wavers and deeds of sale, severely
delayed processing, homesite scams, widespread foreclosure areas, plantation, mining and/or corporate
development subverting genuine land reform and the intensifying Voluntary Offer to Sell land scam.

Three lawyers from the DAR National Office will be able to provide assistance during the dialogue to clarify legal
matters and administrative procedures while DAR Central Office will request the participation of concerned DENR
and ROD representatives.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE ACTIVITY

In a series of dialogues with new DAR personnel, peasant leaders of Danggayan Dagiti Mannalon ti Cagayan Valley
aim to ventilate urgent agrarian reform related issues, monitor commitments from previous dialogues and press for
effective resolution of intensifying land conflicts and agrarian disputes.
 PARTICULAR OBJECTIVES
To be able to develop confidence and courage in articulating their current situation
Change in PO
regarding their particular land problems, contest and challenge questionable DAR officials’
members (Attitude
analysis and plans of action and press for organizational propositions for resolution of
Level) agrarian cases.
To enhance their awareness of agrarian laws including new memorandum circulars related
Problem(Knowledge
to presented land issues and deepen understanding of their particular land problems
Level) (validation of data, clarification of legal matters).
Further develop skills in public speaking, tactics in negotiation and team work of peasant
(Skills Level)
leaders in dialogues.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS BASED ON PLANNED ACTIVITIES
Activity/ Training Topic Done Undone Remarks
December 20, 2016 Dialogue  The regional peasant organization has requested for a
at the DAR Region 2 dialogue as early as the October Peasant Month to follow up
commitments made during the July 26, 2016 dialogue right
after the inauguration of the new administration. The DAR
Central Office responded in Nov. 8, 2016 that due to
Typhoon Lawin and previous DAR activities such as LAD
assessment, ARB Validations and specific land cases
consultations, they plan to conduct the dialogue during the
regionwide caravan for distribution of EP/CLOAs on Dec. 19-
20, 2016.

Forty two peasant leaders from Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and

Quirino (25 women, 12 men, 5 peasant youth) attended the
DAR caravans and fora at Cabagan, Isabela and Cabarroguiz,
Quirino on December 19-20, 2016 but were only able to
submit some petitions and pertinent documents since there
was no time for a dialogue.

Sixty peasant leaders (30 women, 22 men, 8 youth) from

Cagayan were given opportunity for a dialogue after the last
leg of the caravan, after the farmers forum in Tuguegarao
City. Only two urgent cases were presented: 1. land grabbing
of big companies such as Ropali and DDT over a land reform
area in Sitio Mammit, San Mariano, Lallo, Cagayan and 2.
Anomalous titling and applications for title of Catral family,
anomalous DAR amortization agreement of landlord and
farmers Agani, Alcala, Cagayan. Recommendations for case
1 were immediate investigation of companies’
encroachment over land reform areas, cease and desist
order of DAR Regional Director, reaffirmation of collective
CLOA, denial of DENR, NCIP and LGU rights over civil
reservation for cultural minorities. Recommendations for
case 2 were investigation of status of entitlement of Catral,
covered landholdings, revocation of anomalous amortization
MOA, investigation of questioned DAR coverage over
untitled alienable and disposable lands and investigation of
NLSF coverage over disputed lands.
January 27, 2017 at the DAR Twenty peasant leaders (15 men, 5 women) from Cagayan
Regional Office and Isabela submitted papers regarding 30 land cases to the
 new DAR Region 2 Director Homer Tobias for analysis and
further action. Peasant leaders also requested the DAR
Region 2 Director for a DAR-CSO Workshop Conference to
tackle these agrarian cases with DAR Central Office legal
officers but the regional director refused to involve DAR
national staff in the workshop dialogue.
April 10, 2017 at the DAR 130 peasant leaders (64 women, 56 men, 10 youth) from
Regional Office KAGIMUNGAN held a dialogue with DAR Region 2, DAR
Cagayan and DAR National officers ESEC Atty. David Erro,
ASEC Atty. Junjun Malsi and ESEC Atty. Elmer Distor.

REMARKS:
There were 24 land cases submitted, 15 for follow up and 9 new land cases and 16 cases discussed:
1. Mammit – 5 leaders present
2. CSU Piat – 20 peasant leaders (CSU and Guzman)
3. Guzman
4. Lorensana - 2 leaders present
5. ARS – 3 leaders present
6. Cipriano - 12 leaders present
7. Edding Berong – Baliwag – 3 leaders present
8. Apolonia Soriano – Baliwag
9. Catral – 25 leaders present
10. Yap - 4 leaders present
11. Catral Serque – 1 leaders present
12. Catolico - 4 leaders present
13. Manuel Rey - 1 leader present
14. Borja - 2 leaders present
15. Centeno – 3 peasant leaders present
16. Castro - 7 leaders present
Cases which were not discussed were:
1. Hacienda Hawkins
2. Villacete
3. Lasatin
4. Lizardo
5. Pagurayan
6. Sto. Tomas
7. Ganal
8. Carag
9. Marus
10. Addun
11. Malinlin - 1 leaders present
12. Sto. Nino cases – 12 leaders present
13. Tuao – 3 leaders present
14. Awallan – 9

Unities and DAR commitments:

Case 1: Mammit, Lallo 561 has., 196 farmer IP families

1. Conduct another consultation- DENR, NCIP, LGU, DAR on April 11, 2017
2. Reinvestigate if the lands bought by Ropali are inside the reservation.
3. Identify the seller and legal basis of the sale of lands.
4. Verify of there are other privately titled lands in the reservation which is already under collective CLOA.
 5. Cancel any title or application for title in the reservation and file a case against the applicants
6. Recognize the farmer-settlers’ collective CLOA and rights of farmers who developed and occupied the land.
7. Distribute individual CLOAs.

Case 2: Catolico Case 399.6 has. 6 barrios, Amulung, Cagayan

1. Investigate and conduct relocation survey for the 295 ha. titled land under OLT and 95 ha. untitled land occupied
and possessed by 60 farmer families.
2. Immediate stop to payment of any land rent.
3. Revoke anomalous land rent MOA of DAR-landlord-farmers
4. Subject the untitled land to land reform coverage, issue CLOAs, recognize all payments already given under
direct payment or Land Bank amortizations.
5. May 14 - Beneficiaries Consultation - Brgys. Magugud, Manalo, Adauag, Taraliway, Calamagui and Centro

Case 3: Manuel Rey 18.9 has., 6 lots, Dadda, Amulung

1. Cancel the anomalous title of Manuel Rey and anomalous agreement of landlord-farmers.

Case 4: Catral Case 300 farmer families, 4 barrios, Alcala

Titled 77.5 has under land reform, 15 EPs
Untitled 119.4 ha. with 133 witheld CLOAs of 80 farmers
Untitled 38.5 has. with 83 EPs, direct payment to landlord
1. Verify with the Land Bank all withheld CLOAs, provide
xerox copy of CLOAs and statement of accounts of payments made, to all farmer beneficiaries before payment
of any amortization.
2. Petition the DENR for cancellation of the anomalous applications of Catral and other non-occupants-possessors
covering the disputed lands.
3. Recognize the rights of the actual farmer-settler-occupant-tiller to the lands.
4. Cancel the erroneous OCT CLOAs and recognize the rights of actual occupants-tillers to apply for free patents at
the DENR. Verify lots located inside the NLSF quadrants for free distribution by DAR to occupants-settlers.
5. Cancel the anomalous MOA between DAR-Catral and farmers for direct payment. Stop all payments /
amortizations to Catral.
6. File a case against Catral for the forced payments for untitled lands and anomalous MOA forced upon farmers,
demand a return of all illegal payments.

Case 5: BORJA Case 261 has. 6 barrios

Untitled - 9 lots, 3 covered by OLT and distributed
261 has. with 24 lots, 3 lots titled, 21 lots untitled
All lots covered by OLT DNYP, all given OCT Eps. Farmers refused to allow DAR survey team because they already
have Eps.
1. Investigate on site all titled and untitled land and farmer-occupants-tillers in possession of the lots and issued
titles.
2. If the land is untitled, either petition for the cancellation of encumbrance in issued OCT EP or cancel these EPs
and let the farmers-occupants apply for Free Patent at the DENR.

Case 6: CSU Piat Case – Petition of farmers submitted to DAR for investigation.

Case 7: Cipriano Estate, 52 has. Pulacay and Remos, Baggao

1960 farmer-settlers started tilling the land. Landlord was issued a title in 1977. Land covered by PD-27- OLT under
direct payment and already fully paid by farmers. In 1991, landlords’ seven children applied for retention which
was approved by the DAR. Lease contracts were generated by the DAR. But the farmers refused to pay lease
rentals since they believe they have already fully paid for the land, last payment was made in 1993. But the
landlord and DAR did not issue any certificate of full payment. Farmers filed a case against Cipriano but lost.
Farmers still refused to pay rentals but some agreed to pay.
1. Investigate the basis for the Petition for Retention.
 2. Petition DAR to review its decision regarding the anomalous application of Cipriano for retention.
3. Cancel the lease contracts.

Case 8: Edding Berong Case, Brgy. Baliwag, Penablanca

Land under OLT, with certificate of full payment by previous farmer occupant.
Previous farmer-occupant was told by the DAR and landlord to leave the land which will undergo soil analysis to
determine the quality and productivity of the land. Farmer-occupant left the land for two years only to find out
that another farmer cleared the land to till it. Previous farmer-occupant filed a case at the DARAB but lost.
1. Petition for reinvestigation of the case.
2. Recognize the rights of the previous farmer-occupant who has already fully paid for the land with certification of
full payment.
3. Retrieve documents regarding the status of landholding, MARO case folders.
April 11-12, 2017 DAR 53 peasant leaders (28 women, 22 men, 3 youth) from 12
Provincial Office at Cauayan towns / cities of Isabela attended the DAR-CSO Workshop
City Dialogue and presented land cases in a dialogue attended by
DAR Region 2 Director Homer Tobias, DAR Isabela PARO
Alfredo Lorenzo and DAR National officers USEC Atty. David
Erro, ASEC Atty. Junjun Malsi and ASEC Atty. Elmer Distor.

REMARKS:
There were 15 land cases submitted and discussed, 8 for follow up and 7 new land cases. The dialogue was extended
until the next day April 12, 2017 for specific cases:

Unities and DAR Commitments:

Case 1: Dirige Agricultural Development, Inc 161 has. in Alicia, Ramon and Santiago City, Isabela where the landlord
refused to turn over the awarded land to farmer beneficiaries and violently prevented farmers from occupying and
tilling the land. Previous beneficiaries were displaced and new beneficiaries - relatives of landlord are in occupation
of parts of the land. Farmers complained of anomalous retention limits and forced signing of wavers.
1. DAR will recognize CSO submitted list of names for screening as beneficiaries who were forcibly displaced and
currently not in occupation, on April 20, 2017 for screening by the MARO on April 21, 2017.
2. DAR allowed legitimate farmer potential beneficiaries who were previously forcibly displaced to occupy and till
the abandoned lands.
3. DAR will cover the excess of allowable retention for OLT.
Case 2: Tamayo Case, 1.0712 hectares Mambabanga, Luna, Isabela
1. DAR Isabela legal officer will assist the farmer beneficiary in filing a Petition for the Issuance of a Cease and
Desist Order (regarding the ongoing illegal land conversion) to be endorsed by the PARO to the REDO on April
18, 2017.
2. DARPO will follow up appealed caseat the DARCO re cancellation of anomalous titles of landlord which were
the result of an illegal deed of sale of EPs (without DAR clearance) and the Provincial Fiscal case regarding the
ongoing illegal conversion.
Case 3: Daramuangan, San Mateo – 1.3 has anomalous titling, eviction of leaseholders from farms and homesites
(1061 sq m) through court cases, impending demolition
1. DAR could not intervene because of a MOA signed allegedly in duress by the farmers, landlords and LGU that
the farmers cannot file any case regarding the disputed land and that the farmers must surrender their
farmlands as a result of the final and executory court decision.
2. DAR will assist the farmers in requesting for another dialogue with landlord. Farmers have already sought the
help of Isabela Gov. Fastino Dy II to try to dialogue with the landowner and the landowner agreed to sell the
land to the LGU to be covered by an NHA housing project but the landowner could not provide a copy of the
mother title.
Case 4: Villamar Case, Vilamagat and Sab Manuel, San Mateo
Anomalous titles in 87 hectares, ejection of tenants through DARAB court cases, pending case for cancellation of
 anomalous titles at the DENR and RTC.
1. The DAR legal department will assist the farmers in making a formal position paper asking the court to refrain
from execution of the DARAB decision in favor of the landlord (case under appeal at the DARAB National) until
the case at the RTC for annulment of title is resolved because of a prejudicial question.
2. DAR questioned the basis for non-coverage of the large aggregate Villamar landholdings of 21 hectares each.
3. Since the CLTs were all cancelled and the large landholdings were exempted from land reform coverage, DAR
will instruct the Land Bank to allow 4 farmer beneficiaries to withdraw their previously paid amortizations.
Case 5: stalled processing of agrarian reform in big DBP landholdings in Pereda, Delfin Albano Maria Umacam Estate
11.08 has. , Teofilo Binalay Estate 23.05 has. Antonio Reyes Estate 22.46 has. 16 families
1. Since the ROD was burned in 1976, raided by the NBI in 2005 and burned again in 2015, DAR encountered
difficulty in reconstituting DBP titles turned over to DAR for coverage. There are no copies of titles of local DBP
landholdings in the mother branch of the DBP. The LRA would be requested for assistance.
2. DAR will ask the DBP local and central office to give authorization for the DAR to file a Petition for
Reconstitution of Title.
Case 6: Gardon Estate 7.6883 has. and Damian Hao Estate 20.421 has. 30 families in Sto. Nino. Tumauini
1. DAR legal department will assist the farmer beneficiary in filing a Motion to Recover Portions of the Damian
Hao Estate under collective CLOA by undergoing a relocation survey
.DAR will assist the farmer beneficiaries to filing a petition for investigation and cancellation of the anomalous VLT
(Voluntary Land Transfer) of landlord to all her children despite the presence of tenants since the 1940s and
investigate the illegal ejection of former tenants after the landlord’s children received CLOAs (April 20, 2017)
Case 7: VOS (Voluntary Offer to Sell) land scam in San Mariano 6000 hectares and 188.7 has. Echague (22 lots in Diasan
and Madadamian 250 families)
1. Reinvestigate the land syndicates involving the ROD, DAR, DENR, BIR, Land Bank, financiers and private
surveyors in anomalous titling of A&D lands, coverage by DAR of these lands which should be covered instead
by free patents for original farmer-settler-occupants. Case build up re VOS scam and pleadings by DARPO legal
office depending on appropriate legal measures that can be adopted. Study the filing of a complaint vs land
syndicate head Nenita Balmaceda Perez.
2. Follow up the results of the National IAS Investigation in 2012.
3. Conduct a free DAR survey of lands covered by VOS and anomalously titled to certain persons to correct
erroneous surveys conducted by the land titling syndicate causing boundary disputes among farmers-settlers.
4. Farmers demanded a stop to the Land Bank foreclosure of lands under the VOS scam and a disclosure of
information regarding NLSF sites in Echague and other places which should be distributed for free to farmer-
occupants. In the CENRO, the actual farmer-occupants-settlers are named as claimants-occupants. If the
farmers want to cancel the anomalous titles, they would have to file a case at the courts.
Case 8: Villacruz, San Mateo 29 has. 26 tenant farmers families – illegal increase of leasehold rates, forced signing of
leasehold conracts, ejection of tenants through court cases, anomalous titling
1. DAR questioned the irregularities in the exemption of the 29 hectare riceland irrigated since 1968 from
coverage of land reform. Later, DAR may study the possibility of revocation of exemption order while
completing research on all other landholdings of landlord.
2. Farmers-tenants acknowledge the DARAB National decision to stop the DARAB Isabela supervision of harvest
which will deprive them of 25% (for court custody) of their net harvest (aside from the 25% for the land rent)
and the decision to stop the eviction of tenants after having failed to pay leasehold or land rentals for just one
cropping season.
3. DAR decides that the farmer—tenants are under obligation to pay leasehold rentals even if there is a pending
case of annulment of the anomalous title of the landlord.
4. DAR legal department will assist the farmer-tenants in petitioning for a cancellation of the new leasehold rates
of 21 cavans 50 kgs. wet per cropping season and reversion to the previous leasehold rates of 12 cavans good
and dry 46 kgs per cropping season (case of excessive lease rentals vs landowner).
5. The MARO and Sheriff will then recompute the arrears in land rent from the filing of the ejection case last 2010
up to the present and the excess rental paid from the unjust, illegal and forcible increase of leasehold rates.
The balance if there be will be paid by one of the parties (farmer-tenants or the landlord).
Case 9: SWIP Small Water Impounding Dam set up by the DA in Aneg, Delfin Albano covering DAR awarded lands are
managed by an Irrigators Association denying the farmer beneficiaries the 60% share of the collected irrigation fees
 as agreed upon during the construction of the dam. The SWIP services 100 hectares tilled by 60 farmer families.
1. DAR will assist the farmer beneficiaries in drafting a new MOA in place of the previous lost MOA.
2. DAR will conduct a segregation survey to determine if the DAR awarded lands are indeed located inside the
SWIP area. The farmer beneficiaries are demanding that if the IA refuses to implement the previous agreement,
the farmers will take over their awarded land and directly supervise the irrigation services of the SWIP. Tin a
previous concerted action, the farmers have already taken over the fishing grounds in the SWIP.
Case 10: Bagong Sikat, San Mateo 488 hectares 200 families homesite scam, double titling of EPs and Free Patents in
the same homelots and farm lots, double payment to the Land Bank and the landowner.
1. CARPO Jessie Agbayani, former MARO of San Mateo admitted that the area is divided into 3 portions of which
Portion 1 was not documented and not covered by land reform while Portion 2 and 3 are both covered by land
reform.
2. Farmer Beneficiaries insist that the homelot acquisition transfer folder was finalized in 1989 but illegally
stopped by the MARO in 1994. There were EPs generated and several farmers have started paying the Land
Bank but the MARO was not willing to distribute the EPs to the farmer beneficiaries and forced them to pay for
the land directly to the landlord at exorbitant prices. Only 2 farmer beneficiaries received EPs in Portion 2 while
no one received an EP in Portion 1. Now the MARO is insisting that not all occupants are qualified but they are
all decendants of original farmer beneficiaries, some of whom have already died.
3. DAR decided that a house to house survey should be conducted in cooperation with CSO farmer leader
representative Silvino Belarde to identify bonafide farmer beneficiaries in the area (April 20, 2017) followed by
the generation and distribution of entitlements to the land.
Case 11: Bagong Sikat, Alicia 18 has. rice lands, foreclosed land sold by bank in 1985 to landlord instead of offering the
land for sale to farmer tenants tilling the land since 1960, non-coverage of carpable land titled to current
landowner in 2005, ejection of leaseholders in farmlands since 1987 and ejection of 20 families from homesites
through court case, impending demolition on April 28, 2017 or May 20, 2017.
1. DAR will assist farmer tenants in a petition for coverage, requesting the PARO to certify that the case is agrarian in
nature so that the DAR Secretary can appeal to the MTC Court to delay the execution of the ejection-demolition
pending the resolution of the case filed at the DAR. Successful coverage under land reform would mean allotment
of farm lot and homelot. Farmer tenants have also appealed to the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor
and refused relocation to far away Paddad CMP sites where there is no livelihood. Negotiations with landowner
with the help of the Provincial Governor. Faustino Dy III are ongoing to press for alternative solutions such as
pressing the landowner to sell the land to the occupants. Another possible option is the DAR cancellation of the
new landowner’s title due to the irregular sale of the tenanted land from the bank.
2. Farmer tenant was instructed to get an e-copy of title at the ROD since after the burning of the ROD, e-copies are
required for all legal transactions until a reconstitution of the burned titles has been done unfortunately the ROD
Isabela could not generate e-copies even if the titles are certified as burned but in the system (database).
Case 12: Hacienda Nuesa 508.9 has. 323 familieswhose ancestors settled here since the 1930s Lanting Region, Roxas
Farmer beneficiaries have already paid fully for the land in direct payment of 363 cavans/hectare more than the
agreed price of 230 cavans from 1973-1984 to landowner. CLTs were issued in 1973 and EPs in 1986. But DAR
allowed the illegal subdivision of the land by the landowner from 1974-1997 to 59 parcels in the name of the
Nuesa heirs and relatives to evade land distribution to farmer beneficiaries.
1. DAR has transmitted the farmers’ petition to the DAR Regional office awaiting an order from the Regional Director
to conduct a field investigation and generate entitlements to the farmers’ possessed lands.
2. Farmer beneficiaries demand an investigation of the MARO anomalies, cancel the anomalous titles of the Nuesa
heirs, conduct a survey of all possessed, tilled and occupied landholdings of farmer beneficiaries and generate
corresponding titles for distribution to farmer beneficiaries.
Case 13: Sta. Maria, Echague – Erroneous CLOA issued to a farmer residing in Villa Ventura, Aglipay, Quirino (Benito
Andres and Angelita Ventura) covering 3 has. of land in Brgy. Malannit, Jones of which 7779 square meters has
been tilled since 1984 by a farmer occupant tillers Emmanuel and Delia Fernando. The land was sold by former
landowner Rodrigo Obejera to a previous farmer tiller Julian Dela Cruz in 1973. Dela Cruz then gave the 7779 sq m
portion to the present occupant-tillers Emmanuel and Delia Fernando. Yet the former landowner later offered to
sell the land to the Land Bank under the VOS scheme and named his relative (Angelita Ventura) residing in Quirino
Province as his tenant. DAR officials and the CLOA holder previously recommended that the actual farmer-tiller
pay the CLOA holder P400,000 for the 7779 sq m riceland but the actual farmer-tiller refused and demanded that
 the DAR cancel the erroneous CLOA, subdivide the land and generate two CLOAs to actual farmer-tiller-occupants
of the disputed land based on their actual tilled areas. Petition submitted but not yet discussed in dialogue.
Case 14: Lalauanan, Tumauini – ½ has. homelots and 1.5 has untitled farmlots anomalously titled or claimed by non-
occupants. Farmer-occupants are being forced by erroneous CLOA holder to pay for their occupied homelots
1. MARO will investigate and work for the cancellation of anomalous CLOAs, conduct a free DAR survey to register
actual farmer occupants for further titling of their occupied portions (April 12, 2017).
Case 15: Cornworld plantation 200.3445 has. 200 families in Rizalina, Aurora
Farmer beneficiaries’ ancestors are the original settlers whose heirs became tenants of Benjanin Lapuz. Lapuz then
sold the hasyenda to Benito Domingo. To evade agrarian reform under OLT, the estate was illegally subdivided in
1974 into 23 small parcels (in the name of all his 10 children and some househelp and employees) then applied for
a total retention area of 23x5 hectares = 115 hectares and the rest of the hasyenda land of about 76 hectares was
anomalously exempted by DAR from coverage because the landlord claimed that it had been a seed research pilot
company since the 1970s which is not true since it became a seed research facility only in 1992. After a few years,
all parcels of land were transfered back to the landlord Benito Domingo though Deeds of Assignment for the use
of the company Cornworld Breeding Systems Corp.
1. Former MARO gave an update report on April 12, 2017, conducted a field investigation by interviewing the
landlord and admitted that he has only a few documents regarding the case. DARPO legal department will still
investigate, conduct more research and study the case.
Lastly, we were invited by DAR Isabela to be a member of the Provincial Task Force for Problematic Landholdings and
attend its monthly meetings on the first Monday of each month.
SOME INSIGHTS:
1. Peasant leaders need to be equipped with formal trainings on negotiation tactics or table battles.
2. Engaging state agencies also entails personal skills in relating to rank and file employees, most of them from
poor families and several from farmer families also.
3. Paralegal skills of peasant organizations need to be honed – case documentation, case analysis, legal and
metalegal tactics, knowledge on agrarian reform laws and on the recent administrative issuances of DAR,
knowledge on state administrative procedures, affidavit and case brief making, presenting and validating data
and status of landholdings
4. Peasant organizations need to develop campaign management skills on agrarian struggles.

PREPARED BY NOTED BY:

Program Assistant Program Coordinator

Signature Signature

Date Date