ORMOC CITY – A large squatting syndicate that has previously victimized thousands of land owners and urban poor residents in Metro Manila is now operating in Ormoc , threatening to eject farmers that were issued titles under the government ’ s comprehensive agrarian reform program .

The syndicate is armed with spurious documents including a land title that covers the entire Philippine archipelago , some court rulings on the supposed claim to ownership , and numerous other deeds of sale and certificates of donation of land taken from the mother title .

It has also brought in some men claiming to be “ lumads ” to help recruit locals who are willing to pay a membership and monthly fees in exchange for a promise that they will get a parcel of land that is already covered by a Certificate of Land Ownership Award given the agrarian reform beneficiaries .

The syndicate is said to be headed by a certain Danny Degorio , supposedly a resident of Lake Danao and Brg . Mahayag where he also victimized farmers into giving him money in exchange for the land that they were tilling .

“ They are simply land grabbers masquerading as lumads ,” says Rina Reyes , local coordinator of Rights Network , a nongovernment organization advocating for land rights for farmers and urban poor . Its local affiliate , Katarungan Eastern Visayas , has helped Bugho Farmers Association ( BFA ) reclaim their farmland covered by CLOA .

Rosenda Apay , president of BFA , said the “ lumads ” would often harass them and threaten their members that they will be driven out of the farmland when the police pulls out from the area . She also received a threat in her Facebook page with a comment “ isang bala ka lang .”

But for 79-years old Esperanza Rebise , she said she no longer very much affected with all the treats and harassments they have been receiving . “ I have seen them all . We have fought for this land for a long time and we are not about to give this up ,” she said .

“ What I want is for everybody to just follow the orders of the Department of Agrarian Reform . This land is awarded to us . We have already gave a part of this land as a compromise because DAR thinks this is the best way to live in peace . We will fight to keep what is remaining ,” she said .

Land for the landless At the heart of the conten-

Some of the syndicate ’ s victims

tion is a 25-hectares ricefield tilled by 21 members of BFA , which is a part of the 46-hectares that DAR originally awarded to them in 1998 . The property was formerly owned by the late Teofilo Fran and was planted with sugarcane where the beneficiaries work as farm laborers until it was abandoned .

When the 46 hectares were awarded to them , other farmworkers also asked to be included in the DAR listing of beneficiaries . They formed the Fran Farm Workers Association ( FFWA ) to bolster their claim for inclusion in the CLOA .

On April 8 , 2002 , while BFA members were harvesting their grown rice , two sixby-six vehicles loaded with 40 unidentified men with long fire arms from the 19th Infantry Battalion , Philippine Army based in Barangay Agiting , Municipality of Kananga arrived .

According to Apay , the military men aimed their guns at them . Because of fear , they left their harvest and their farm . An officer then of FFWA reportedly informed the 19th IB , PA that the farmers are members of the New People ’ s Army ( NPA ).

On April 30 , 2015 , BFA took a stand and decided to take back the 25-hectare land which was awarded to them and installed themselves as owners of the land .

Conflict among members of the two contesting organizations went on until DAR came up with a “ compromise agreement ,” giving 25 hectares to BFA and 21 hectares to FFWA to be shared by its 71 members .

While some members of FFWA abide by the agreement , others are not happy and the discontent of some individuals was exploited by the Manila-based land grabbing syndicate .

Deceitful Tallano claims

In an effort to deceive the farmers , the syndicate is showing them a copy of Certificate of Title No . 01-4 issued by the “ Royal Government of England ” on January

BFA president Rosenda Apay : Harassed by “ lumads ”

17 , 1764 declaring the entire archipelago as Hacienda Filipina owned a certain Prince Lacan Acuña , whose one supposed heir is Julian Tallano .

They also have a copy of a decision made by Pasay City Judge Ernesto Reyes dated July 7 , 1997 , July 11 , 2001 and Oct . 8 , 2001 which recognizes the Tallano claim as well as the temporary restraining order issued by the Court of Appeals on the Pasay City court ruling .

The farmers are made to believe that once a final court decision is made on Tallano ’ s favor , they will be awarded with the land that is presently being tilled by members of BFA .

But for the farmers to qualify , they are asked to pay a membership fee of P2,500 and an undetermined monthly dues supposedly to defray expenses in processing the papers so they will get the 25-hectares land of BFA . No receipt is issued for the said payment .

Apay said that last year , the syndicate collected P8,000 from each recruited member to cover the cost of travel of its leaders to Mindanao to gather support from other Lumads .

The Tallano syndicate is one the eight biggest squatting syndicates in the country under the watchlist of Philippine National Police .

It made headlines in 2007 when Julian Tallano filed a plunder case against former president Joseph Estrada for the “ Erap City ” mass housing project in Montalban , Rizal which he claims to own .#

Elmer V . Recuerdo

TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte businessmen believe that the plan to put up a transshipment hub in Babatngon will address unemployment problems in the region as well as lower prices of basic commodities .

“ This is a very good plan and will benefit the region . It is about time that we have another port aside from our port in Tacloban ,” says businessman Wilson Uy , president of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Leyte-Tacloban .

“ The business community has been pushing for this . We have previously made representation at the Regional Development Council to include setting up a port in Babatngon as part of the regional plan ,” he said .

On December 20 , the RDC approved a proposal that a feasibility study be made for a possible seaport in Babatngon . The Philippine Ports Authority was also tasked to come up with a masterplan of a possible transshipment port in Babatngon . Both of these are expected to be completed within the year .

Uy said that having a port in Babatngon bring in raw materials for industries that may be put up here and will generate a much needed employment especially

TACLOBAN CITY , Leyte ( PIA ) – The annual employment rate in Eastern Visayas slightly rose to 95.5 percent last year as compared from 94.6 percent in 2015 . Out of the estimated 3.0 million population aged 15 years old and over in 2016 , 1.9 million individuals are economically active or in the labor force .

Wilma Perante , regional director of the Philippine Statistics Authority ( PSA ) in the region disclosed that said figure can be translated to an annual labor force participation rate of 62.1 percent . Among the regions in the country , Eastern Visayas posted the third lowest annual labor force participa-

in Tacloban ’ s northern barangays where some 15,000 families will be moved in the next three years .

“ Our problem here is the entry of raw materials . We cannot attract industries to invest here because they cannot bring in raw materials . If we have a port in Babatngon , we can invite investors from China and other Asian countries to put up manufacturing plants . As it is now , we cannot bring in big ships to dock in Tacloban port ,” he said .

Ships bound for Tacloban have problems traversing the narrow and shallow San Juanico Strait to reach the regional center .

Babatngon is only 22 kilometers north of Tacloban . The Tacloban North Agro-Industrial Economic Zone , the 13.4 hectare economic zone , is half-way between Babatngon and the city proper .

Uy said this also facilitate easier access in transporting good to the region that may result to lowering of prices of basic goods and services .

He cited the entry of oil depot in Babatngon to illustrate his point . “ When oil companies set-up oil depots in Babatngon , the price of fuel in Tacloban went down . Our prices is now competitive , oil here is cheaper than in Cebu and Manila ,” he said .#

tion rate and sits at par with Central Luzon .

Meanwhile , it is estimated by the Philippine Statistics Authority ( PSA ) that 412 thousand persons are considered as underemployed . Underemployed workers can be divided into several categories . The most common types are those skilled workers in low-paying jobs , skilled workers in low-skill jobs and part-time workers preferring full-time hours .

Said figure is equivalent to 28.3 percent underemployment rate which was lower than the 31.7 percentage that was posted a year ago . With this record , the region had the third highest underemployment rate in the country .#