By CESAR JOLITO III
The Negros Occidental provincial government has formally withdrawn its planned purchase of a two-hectare land parcel in Moises Padilla town, currently occupied by the Central Philippines State University (CPSU) campus, previously eyed to solidify the ownership of land.
In an official letter to landowner Francisco Nazareno Jr., Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government would no longer pursue the P25-million property deal due to multiple legal and procedural deficiencies.
The decision stemmed from a recommendation by the Provincial Legal Office following a comprehensive review of the transaction.
The cited reasons included the failure of the Nazareno family to comply with legal and documentary requirements, identified legal defects in the executed deed of sale, and what the provincial government described as “adversarial and uncooperative conduct” from the landowner.
Lacson noted a lack of “sincere engagement” from the landowner, despite the provincial government’s efforts to assist with appraisals, document preparation and coordination with CPSU and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
The governor stated that because the transaction involved conjugal property, the property’s deed of sale was “rendered void and without legal effect” without the written consent of Nazareno’s spouse.
Meanwhile, Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz II said one of the major roadblocks was the refusal of the landowner’s spouse to sign the deed of sale, coupled with incomplete submission of required documentation such as the Taxpayer Identification Number.
Diaz also noted the camp’s insistence on increasing the price of the property, which originally stood at P25 million, as another reason for the breakdown in negotiations.
He added that the Capitol sees no choice but to seek an alternative site for future school development projects in the area.
“While this may affect students currently studying at the CPSU-Moises Padilla Campus, we cannot move forward with an agreement that is legally and administratively untenable,” Diaz said.
The land, currently occupied by the state university, had been subject to a usufruct agreement signed in 2017 when Nazareno was still the town mayor.
The usufruct has since expired, and the provincial government had planned to secure ownership to support future infrastructure development for CPSU.
The landowner had reportedly been paid by CPSU under the previous agreement, but with the province now stepping back, the future of CPSU’s land tenure in Moises Padilla remains uncertain.
Despite the setback, Diaz assured the public that the province remains committed to supporting education and will explore other properties for the university’s needs.
The property dispute came to light after Moises Padilla Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo raised concerns that the landowner was reclaiming the property following the lapse of the usufruct agreement.
Garcia-Yulo earlier sought Lacson’s intervention to secure the land for CPSU.
In July, Lacson confirmed that the provincial government had already paid Nazareno for the two-hectare property.
Lacson explained that they had negotiated the payment with Nazareno, but it was delayed due to the prohibited period for releasing public funds during the May 2025 midterm elections.
The CPSU-Moises Padilla Campus, located in Barangay 7, sits on a 4.4-hectare land area and currently serves over 1,000 students from the town and nearby localities./CJ, WDJ