200-hectare Mulanay plantation pits farmers vs. Justice chief Aguirre

Resident farmers of a plantation in Mulanay, Quezon, have accused Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II of asking them to pay rent in a land they rightfully own, a report on "24 Oras" said Tuesday.

The report by GMA News' Lia Mañalac-Del Castillo said residents of the 200-hectare Hacienda Tulungan in Brgy. Sta. Rosa claimed the land belongs to them under the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

However, they said Aguirre has been asking them to pay rent, even threatening them as he claimed to be the owner of the land.

"Kayo may paglalagyan sa'min. Naglabas ng baril at nagalit ako sa kanya... Ayaw kami nila payagan. Once na magpalit kami ng bubong, dingding, ipapatawag kami sa kagawad na utusan at ipinapa-blotter kami," a resident said.

Aguirre denied the allegation. "Of course, bakit hindi ko idi-deny 'yun e 'di naman totoo yun? Hindi ako nagpunta doon kahit minsan para manakot," he said.

"Di ko naman kailangan yun [dahil] nandito ako sa Maynila nagpa-practice ng law," he added.

The report said the hacienda was formerly owned by the family of a certain Francisco Bocobo. According to Aguirre, he worked as Bocobo's lawyer until he was able to buy the land for P2.3 million in the 1980s.

The residents, however, insisted that each of them was given three hectares under CARP, and thus should not pay rent.

Aguirre explained that some of the residents are living beyond the boundary set by CARP, and for this he is charging P2 per square meter. He said this will help the hacienda recover from the damage caused by Typhoon Glenda.

"Isang taon walang aanihin diyan, kaya para makasuporta sa pag-improve ng hacienda, na sana magbayad ng renta 'yang mga 'yan gawa ng 40 taon na iba diyan hindi nagbabayad ng renta," he said.

Aguirre noted that he and his partners established FQB + 7 Inc., a corporation to manage the estate.

In the records of Department of Agrarian Reform in Quezon and also in the records of the Assessor's Office in Mulanay, FQB +7 INC. is the owner of the 212-hectare Hacienda Tulungan.

According to the 1985 Securities and Exchange Comission (SEC) articles of incorporation, Aguirre is the secretary/treasurer and also a stockholder of FQB +7. But as of 2005, Aguirre's name was no longer part of the corporation. —John Ted Cordero/KBK, GMA News