Former P’sinan mayor denies landgrabbing raps

BOLINAO, Pangasinan — A former mayor of this town dared his detractors to go to court to prove their accusations of landgrabbing and illegal harvesting of prawns and bangus (milkfish) from other people’s fishponds.

"Kung may reklamo sila, bakit hindi daanin sa korte (If they have any complaint, why don’t they bring it to court)?" said former mayor Jesus Celeste, brother of Pangasinan first district Rep. Arthur Celeste.

Celeste was reacting to reports that criminal cases were poised to be filed against him for alleged landgrabbing, bangus theft, and attempt to sell thousands of bags of salt he did not own.

The former mayor, however, insisted that his actions were based on a court order dated Oct. 16, 2006.

In that decision of Alaminos City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Jules Mejia, Celeste said he got hold of a receivership order to take over about 300 hectares, a huge part of which was a salt farm, in various barangays in Alaminos City and other towns.

The property was the subject of civil cases among the heirs of Josefa Rabago, whose father, Pedro Reinoso, owned the land.

Celeste happens to be a close friend of Rodney, Josefa’s adopted son. Rodney is the biological son of Josefa’s brother Jose.

But owing to a family conflict over the land, also involving a certain Ron Reyes, Rabago’s cousin, Rodney opted to entrust the property to Celeste by virtue of a court order for receivership.

Celeste said Rabago initially considered three persons to whom he could entrust the property but he was eventually the one chosen.

"Maybe they felt they can really trust me and also I have helped them (financially) in the past, so they are probably paying their debt of gratitude," Celeste said.

Celeste was accused of employing armed men to drive away the property’s caretakers and illegally harvesting prawns and milkfish in the fishponds.

But Celeste denied the accusations, saying that when he took over the property, he was accompanied by a sheriff of the Alaminos City RTC and a number of policemen.

He said everything they had harvested was properly inventoried, a report of which was submitted to the court for documentation.

He said the harvested bangus was estimated to be worth P100,000; the prawns, P40,000; and the salt, about P15 million.

Celeste said he formally asked the court for authority to sell the salt stocks but the hearing was postponed.

"As a receiver, I have to save the produce there. I have the right to protect the property," he said.

In fact, he said he took over only 120 hectares, out of the more than 300 hectares, because this area was productive and needed urgent care.

When they took over the property, he claimed they found in the area two caliber .38 revolvers, a shotgun and an Armalite rifle now in the custody of the 106th Provincial Mobile Group based here.

He said he has advised his lawyer to file charges of illegal possession of firearms and attempted robbery against Reyes’ group.

Celeste said the court is hearing the contempt case he filed against Reyes’ group on Nov. 30.

"They are the ones who do not respect the court order because they intruded with armed men in the warehouse where millions of pesos worth of salt was stocked," he said.

He said that if his detractors could show a court order instructing him to vacate the area, then he would comply.

"Eh wala naman silang papeles galing sa korte (But they don’t have any papers from the court)," he said.

He said he has posted a P250,000 bond with the court in his capacity as the property’s receiver.

"Mananatili akong receiver hanggang gusto ng korte (I will remain the receiver as long as the court wants me to)," he said.

But it was alleged that Celeste also took over 88 hectares not covered by the court’s receivership order.

This area supposedly covered the fishponds, the salt farm and several properties owned by different people, including those bought by one of the respondents in the civil case.