City creates TF for the landless

CEBU, Philippines - Following the case of sitio San Miguel, Barangay Apas, the Cebu City government has created a task force that will address the problem of landless residents in the city.

The Task Force Land for the Landless, as its name suggests, will provide land to qualified families while also serving the interest of the rightful lot owners, said lawyer Janneses Ponce.

“We aim to protect the underprivileged and also the interest of the propriety right of lot owners,” said Ponce, executive assistant to the Mayor.

The task force, which was created yesterday, will be headed by Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella with Councilors Alvin Dizon and Hans Abella as members.

Others members include City Hall lawyers, the Land Management Council headed by Ponce, Department of Environment and Natural Resources 7, City and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer, and Assessor’s Office.

Mayor Michael Rama initiated the creation of the task force, saying he wants the “landless residents have their own lots.”

The task force will conduct inventory of city-owned lots in the area; formulate policies; and lobby statutes or legislations before higher authorities.

Ponce said they will also look into contested private lots in the city.

“Owning a land is not only a privilege. As a land owner, you must secure your property to prevent squatting,” the lawyer stressed.  He said the city targets to give 1,000 land patent titles to Cebu City families this year. The city has so far given 59 free patents to bonafide beneficiaries of Barangays Duljo-Fatima and Tinago last month.

The issuance of land titles was reportedly in accordance with Republic Act No. 10023, otherwise known as Free Patent Act, signed by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on March 9, 2010.

Requirements for the applicants include the actual occupation or residence of the parcel subject to application for at least 10 years prior to the filing of the application and the applicant must not exceed a total accumulated property of 12 hectares landholding including agricultural lands and the area shall not exceed 200 square meters for highly urbanized cities.

Regarding the Apas case, Ponce said that they were caught off guard, saying the city was not given enough time to attend to the affected residents before the order of the demolition was implemented.

“The City government should not only come in during the demolition, but during the filing of the case pa,” said Ponce.

Because of what happened to Apas, the city is now eager and interested to dig deeper in the issue of land acquisition and illegal squatting in the city, said Ponce.  (FREEMAN)