The Department of Agrarian Reform in Western Visayas (DAR6) has dismissed for “lack of merit” the petition filed by 15 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), seeking a cease and desist order (CDO) against businessman Paul Chang of Hda. San Antonio Dos in Talisay City.
The petition aimed to halt hacienda management activities, including the tilling and cultivating of the property located in Barangay Dos Hermanas, Talisay.
DAR6 director Leomides Villareal, in a nine-page order dated April 4, 2025, said the ARB petitioners “failed to substantially and satisfactorily establish that a petition for issuance of (a CDO) against (Chang) on the subject landholding should be granted.”
“There is no agrarian law implementation case filed before this office upon which the petition for issuance of a cease and desist order may be premised,” Villareal stressed.
The 15 ARBs, who filed the petition on Jan. 24, 2025, are Margarita Morillo, Lorna Morillo, Elizabeth Povadora, Rolando Ebanez, Elena Baylin, Nestor Tolosa, Remia Lamig, Gonzalo Lamig, Joemar Gonzales, Generoso Abangin Jr., Bernaldo Quiben, Federico Quiben Jr., Jison Junsay, Arufo Arminol, and Christian Dorimon.
Records show that the disputed 22.95-hectare property was part of the 50-hectare landholding formerly registered under Chang, and later placed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) coverage, through a Voluntary Offer to Sell (VOS) scheme.
In 2001, the 50-hectare property was awarded to 26 ARBs of Hacienda San Antonio Dos. Of the 26 ARBs, 15 entered into a series of “lease agreements” with Chang.
Between November 2013 and November 2016, the ARBs individually approached Chang and sold back to him a total of 22.95 hectares through separate notarized Sales of Rights. It should be noted that lands acquired by ARBs under CARP may be sold after 10 years from the date of their installation on said land.
Conflicts started to arise in 2024 when the 15 ARBs argued that what they entered into with Chang were “leaseback agreements” and not Sale of Rights. They also claimed that they have recovered possession of the property that same year by tilling and cultivating the property.
To counter the claims of the 15 ARBs, Chang submitted to DAR6 the notarized Sales of Rights for the disputed landholding.
As the ARBs “instigated drastic actions which caused disturbance in the area,” the Hda. San Antonio management was constrained to protect its personnel and property by taking necessary legal action and filing cases against the instigators. ||
