The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has upheld its decision to void the Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) issued to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Nasugbu, Batangas, citing legal irregularities in previous transactions involving the land.

The ruling impacts numerous resort owners who have developed the land in question, raising concerns over potential demolitions.

The DAR clarified that the 10-year prohibition on selling ARB lands does not apply to the three haciendas in Nasugbu — Banilad, Palico and Caylaway — because the initial notice of coverage for those lots was deemed illegal.

As a result, the sale and transfer of these lands, now home to several resorts, are considered invalid, it said.

“Resort owners in Barangay Aga and other areas in Nasugbu have appealed to us to recognize their decades-old land purchases,” said DAR Undersecretary Napoleon Galit.

“However, the DAR’s decision, based on legal grounds, is final. We are, however, open to facilitating discussions between the resort owners and Roxas and Company Inc. (RCI), the rightful owner of these haciendas as per the DAR’s ruling,” he said.

Galit expressed a willingness to mediate between the resort owners and RCI to explore possible settlements, despite the consolidated order’s finality.

“Even though the decision is final and executory, the law encourages negotiation,” Galit noted. He said he has asked RCI to maintain the status quo while negotiations are ongoing.

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella emphasized that the voiding of the CLOAs, which also affected lands converted into resorts, was conducted in strict accordance with the law. He insisted that the resort owners should have verified the legality of the land titles before purchasing them.

“We regard them as illegal settlers. They should have checked the papers first before buying those lands,” Estrella said.

Residents protest

Last week, nearly a thousand residents of Nasugbu demonstrated at Makati’s Freedom Park against RCI’s plan to evict an estimated 50,000 residents from the disputed Roxas Haciendas, which cover approximately 2,941 hectares across nine barangays.

Local government officials, led by Nasugbu Vice Mayor Mildred Sanchez and the Sangguniang Bayan, joined the protest.

They visited the offices of major financial institutions, including BPI, LandBank, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), urging them not to extend financial support or loans to RCI until the land disputes are resolved.

In response to the protest, BPI acknowledged the concerns raised by the Nasugbu local government, stating that they would consider the contents of Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Resolution 118, which calls for financial institutions to withhold support for RCI until it settles its obligations with the affected ARBs.

LandBank, DBP and BSP have confirmed upcoming meetings with the Nasugbu LGU to discuss the resolution.

“We appreciate the willingness of these financial institutions to support Nasugbu and our call for equitable compensation and the prevention of forced evictions in the Roxas Haciendas,” Sanchez said.

Amid the controversy, the DAR has assured that the resolution of the land dispute will not result in the dispossession of the farmers’ land. The Supreme Court ruling from 1999, which favored RCI and invalidated the CLOAs issued to the farmers, has been a key factor in the ongoing legal battle between RCI and the farmers.