• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The management of Hacienda San Antonio Dos yesterday reiterated that they legally own the 22.95 hectare property in Barangay Dos Hermanas, Talisay City, which 15 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) sold back to them, by virtue of separate notarized Sales Rights between November 2013 and November 2016, after a 10-year period.
The claim follows another confrontation on September 20, between security guards hired by the management, and some ARBs who reportedly tried to enter the hacienda.
One of the security guards allegedly fired a warning shot.
In a statement, the hacienda management said that the Department of Agrarian Reform-Regional Office 6 denied the petition sought by the ARBs for the issuance of cease and desist order against them, for “lack of merit” in April 4 this year.
The 15 ARB – complainants are among the original 26 ARBs who received CLOAs (Certificate of Land Ownership Award) in 2001, and were installed in the same year.
The hacienda management said that lands awarded to ARBs under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) may be sold by the ARBs 10 years after the date of their installation in the said land.
In February this year, a commotion ensued between the security guards hired by the hacienda management and some of the ARBs in the place.
For more than three decades, Hacienda San Antonio Dos had been a peaceful community.
Since disputes erupted in August last year, the management claims that it was always the group of 15 ARBs and their family members who are actively and consistently instigating violence at the hacienda, causing disturbance in the area, and even damage to their property.
This prompted them to protect its personnel and property from the ARBs.*
