By CESAR JOLITO III
Cadiz City Mayor Salvador “Bading” Escalante has expressed frustration over what he described as the “slow” response of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in resolving the decade-long land dispute between security guards and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the city’s Barangay Mabini.
Escalante said the ongoing conflict has persisted for nearly 10 years, yet the DAR has failed to issue a clear resolution despite several interventions by the local government.
“Bisan ano kapatunga sang local government para mapahagan-hagan ang tensyon, ang DAR lang gid ang may final say kag makahatag sang sabat sini nga isyu,” Escalante stressed.
The tension escalated into violence on September 30, when a shooting incident left seven ARBs injured after allegedly being fired upon by seven private security guards assigned to the disputed property.
Meanwhile, Escalante underscored the urgency of government action, saying that the prolonged inaction has allowed tensions to escalate and violence to erupt.
“Ang problema ‘ya dugay na, pero wala pa gihapon klaro nga solusyon. Kinahanglan may desisyon na antes pa maglab-ot sa mas madamo nga kasamok,” Escalante added.
DAR Chief Legal Officer Jeremiah Andrada earlier explained that the root of the conflict dates back to 2004, when the farmer-beneficiaries were issued a Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA).
However, that same year, then-Provincial Agrarian Reform Adjudicator Gil Alegario also issued a decision canceling the CLOA.
In 2022, DAR officials reportedly discovered another title still existing for the same land on the Register of Deeds, further complicating the matter.
Because of this, DAR-Negros Occidental filed a request for clarification with the agency’s Central Office to determine the proper legal course of action — whether to proceed with the installation of ARBs despite the new title, or to restore the canceled CLOA through a writ of execution.
Andrada maintained that DAR has consistently reminded the beneficiaries to remain patient and follow due legal process while awaiting official guidance from the central office./CJ, WDJ