Palawan land reform case cites DENR’s Yulo-Loyzaga for conflict of interest, ethical violations

Farmers from the towns of Coron and Busuanga in Palawan are seriously considering the idea of taking their 35-year struggle to the Office of the Ombudsman, where they intend to file a case against the court-designated executor of the Yulong King Ranch – Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.

According to Orly Marcellana in his capacity as spokesperson of Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan, they are already in the process of consulting their legal counsels regarding the cases that would be filed against Yulo-Loyzaga.

"Isa lang ang malinaw sa hanay namin – may conflict of interest sa paghirang at pagtanggap sa pwesto ni Sec. Yulo-Loyzaga bilang Kalihim ng DENR," Marcellana said in a mix of English and Tagalog.

Marcellana particularly hinted at the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 17 resolution designating Yulo-Loyzaga as Executor of YKR Corporation, for which ACT party-list Rep. France Castro filed a resolution seeking a congressional "investigation in aid of legislation."

Named co-administrator by the court is one Ma. Paz Socorro J. Yulo Cammack, who was earlier reported to be the sister of the DENR chief.

Aside from Loyzaga and Cammack, the other heirs of the late Jose A. Yulo are: Teresa J. Yulo, Cecilia J. Yulo, Maria Teresa Carmen J. Yulo Gomez, Jose Luis J. Yulo, Jose Enrique J. Yulo, Maria Carmen J. Yulo, Jose Manuel J. Yulo and Jose Maria J. Yulo.

The peasant group also dared House Speaker Martin Romualdez to manifest some proof of the administration's sincerity in the implementation of Republic Act 6657 (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law).

"Nananawagan kami kay Speaker Romualdez na suportahan ang resolusyon ng Makabayan bloc para sa isang malayang imbestigasyon para mabatid ang dahilan sa mahabang panahon ng pagkaantala ng pamamahagi ng lupang sakahan sa mga benepisyaryong magbubukid."

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last month ordered the Department of Agrarian Reform to expedite and complete the distribution of land titles to deserving agrarian reform beneficiaries.

"To sustain what we have achieved in the agrarian reform, I ask the DAR to complete the distribution of lands to their deserving owners while collaborating with all the agencies of government to support our beneficiaries in anything that they might need," President Marcos Jr. said, Marcellana recalled.

According to House members forming part of the Makabayan bloc, there is an obvious conflict of interest hounding Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga over family-owned Yulo King Ranch in the province of Palawan.

Rep. France Castro (ACT partylist) accused Yulo-Loyzaga of ethical violations when she accepted the post as DENR despite knowing that her family's Yulo King Ranch is embroiled in petitions seeking the distribution of land to farmers beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

A 2014 fact-finding and solidarity mission report covering Coron and Busuanga described the land-grabbing case of Yulo King Ranch as "the largest agrarian anomaly in the country."

The same report called the Palawan incident "a state-sponsored massive land grabbing which effectively deprived at least 1,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries from getting what is due to them under the law."

"There were already farmers who were tilling the land even before the YKR came in," said Marcellana. "The mission interviewed one of the original residents who narrated that the people were already tilling and cultivating the land from the early 1930s. Affected families were relatively self-sufficient. But the land grabbing case has marginalized them," he added.

The team interviewed residents from eight villages affected such as Decalachao, Guadalupe, San Jose, San Nicolas in Coron and Quezon, New Busuanga, Cheey, and Sto. Nino in Busuanga.