A farmers' association in the towns of Odiongan and Ferrol, Romblon is calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to intervene in the ongoing land dispute between them and other claimants over a 319-hectare parcel of land in Barangays Anahao, Canduyong, and Tubigon, commonly referred to as the Buyco Estate.
In an interview with Romblon News Network, Kagawad Emerson Forteza of Barangay Anahao, who also serves as the president of the Anahao-Canduyong-Tubigon Farmers Association (ACTFA), urged the president to take action on their requests sent to Malacañang and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
“Mr. President, sana itong problema namin dito ng ACTFA ay maaksyunan ninyo,” Forteza pleaded.
“Nawa'y bigyan niyo kami ng pansin sa 319 ektaryang lupa ng Buyco na kini-claim niya, kahit na batay sa Supreme Court decision, talagang hindi sa kanya. Sana, Mr. President, mabigyan ninyo ng atensyon ang Anahao-Canduyong-Tubigon Farmers Association,” he added.
Forteza and other members said they had been tilling the land since the 1900s, but others were allegedly forced to vacate.
Farmers Raise Concerns Over Land Sales
Forteza further revealed that despite unresolved claims by farmers, some individuals have been acquiring and selling portions of the estate. He added that some were able to secure land titles by applying for free patents through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
He also pointed out that before the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) issued exemptions in 2007, which removed parts of the estate from the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), several farmers had already received land titles under the program. However, with the exemption in place, many others were denied ownership rights, leaving them without legal claims to the land they had been farming for decades.
“Sobrang unfair sa amin kasi kami dito ay matagal na dito, tapos kami ay hindi nabigyan, and then ‘yung ibang hindi taga-rito sa Anahao, Canduyong at Tubigon ay [nakakuha]. [Sa amin] ay wala man lang naibigay kahit kaunti. So sobrang unfair talaga para sa amin,” he said.
The Supreme Court earlier ruled that the Buycos were disqualified from owning land in the Philippines because they were American citizens. However, Samuel Buyco's reacquisition of Filipino citizenship addressed this issue in their second attempt to register the land.
Despite this, the Supreme Court determined that they failed to prove the land was alienable and disposable (A&D), further stating that the property in question was classified as pasture land, making it ineligible for private ownership. This classification remained until 2021 when President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 11573, which streamlined the process for securing free patents and made it easier to establish land as A&D.
In its latest decision, the Supreme Court dismissed the Buycos’ petition without prejudice, meaning they were not barred from refiling their application if they could present sufficient evidence to prove the land's eligibility for private ownership.
Related Story: FYI: The Timeline of Buyco Estate in Odiongan
As of this writing, DAR and DENR have yet to issue an official statement regarding the farmers’ claims.
Erratum:
In an earlier statement, we mentioned that “The Supreme Court already ruled that the Buycos were disqualified from owning land in the Philippines because they were American citizens.” To clarify, while the Supreme Court initially ruled that the Buycos were disqualified due to their American citizenship, this specific issue was later addressed when Samuel Buyco reacquired Filipino citizenship.
