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SM denies ownership of property in violent Maragondon, Cavite demolition


Sy-led conglomerate SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) on Friday denied it is the  owner of the property which was a subject of a court-ordered demolition that turned into a violent dispersal of residents in a fishing village in Maragondon, Cavite.

 

 

In a statement, SMIC said “it has never had any ownership of nor is it in any acquisition talks with the subject property in Barangay Patungan, Maragondon, Cavite.”

“The area of the demolition incident that happened last January 13, 2022 is not a property of SM,” the company said.

Militant fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) described Brgy. Patungan as a coastal community situated along Mt. Palay-Palay, a mountain range known for its famous peak called “Pico de Loro.”

Pamalakaya claimed that the fishing community in Maragondon town has been reportedly sold by the Maria-Teresa Virata Realty Corp., a realty firm that first claimed the land, to the Manila Southcoast Development Corp. (MSDC), a subsidiary of SMIC.

According to the Cavite Philippine National Police (PNP), the piece of land subject to Writ of Demolition ordered by the Naic Regional Trial Court is composed of four to five hectares in Brgy. Patungan with more or less 400 houses, 600 families and 2000 individuals, 289 cottages, 44 island Hopping Boats and 105 Fishing Boats.

Cavite PNP said the land was entitled to MTV Investment Properties Holding Corp. formerly known as MTV Realty Corp.

Pamalakaya is calling on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the violent demolition that led to scores of injuries in Brgy. Patungan.

The Cavite PNP, meanwhile, said the “aggressive residents” fighting for their rights of land while having negotiation resulted in the injuries of five PNP personnel and three civilians who were part of the demolition team.

Pamalakaya said that “human rights violations committed by around 400 policemen accompanied by about 500 demolition crew during the attempted demolition of their houses.”

The Cavite PNP, however, said that the deployment team for security assistance composed of 296 Cavite PNP personnel, eight PNP Maritime, two from the Highway Patrol Group, three crews from the PNP Provincial Health Service Unit; six from Coast Guard; 30 from Philippine Marine Corps; and seven from Bureau of Fire Protection.—LDF, GMA News

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