Friday, September 05 2008 [ manilatimes.net ]
FORTY-SIX families from Lumban, Laguna have sought the intervention of Environment Sec. Lito Atienza to investigate the questionable free land patents issued by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) field officials to some people, who are now asking them to vacate their land.
Atienza has ordered Regional Executive Director Nilo Tamoria in Laguna to look into the case of 46 families in Lumban town who are being driven out of their homes by people who are apparently holding questionable free land patents issued by DENR field officials.
The families said the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office officials of the DENR have earlier ignored them when their case reached the regional trial court in Laguna.
Atienza said the families have been living in the parcel of land since 1940s and it is surprising that the people demanding them to vacate the land were owners of free land patents issued in 1990.
Atienza said that he had looked over documents brought by the Lumban families and found irregularities.
“One parcel of land had two certificates of free patent coming from our field officers. The families also said that when DENR inspectors came, it was as if they were not there at all. This is because the land is classified as a rice field. And yet, over the supposed rice field stood numerous houses, some of them big, who evidently have been there for quite some time,” Atienza said.
The families who asked for Atienza’s help went directly to DENR central office personally to appeal the status of their case.
Atienza further said that he also ordered an investigation on the DENR officers involve in this issue.
He said that apart from being the victims of “bureaucratic arrogance and abuse” of DENR field officers, the Lumban families are also victims of an “unjust decision” over their land which may have resulted from collusion among corrupt officials in the DENR, Land Management Bureau, and Land Registration Authority.
“I have asked Regional Director Tamoria that the DENR make an appearance in court on September 12 to signify our interest in the case of the Lumban families. I have also warned Director Tamoria that this would be a test case for his appointment in that region,” Atienza added.--Ira Karen Apanay
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