Our Land. Wilfredo Alvarado, Pacita Caser, Herminio Beltran, Dominador Ignacio, Federico Tolentino and Rodolfo Santiago hold their land titles as Regina F. Magbitang, project officer of Leonio Land, Archbishop Emeritus Paciano Aniceto and Angelito Dizon also of Leonio Land stand withess to the occasion. Contributed photo
PORAC, Pampanga — More families have received their own certificates of land title where their homes were built for free at a relocation site in Barangay Hacienda Dolores here where the Leonio Land Holdings Inc.-Ayala Land Inc. partnership has started the development of the P75-billion mixed-use business hub and leisure in Central Luzon.
Most Rev. Paciano B. Aniceto, archbishop emeritus of San Fernando together with representatives of the LLL Holdings Inc. led the distribution of land titles to 75 more families during the recent fiesta celebration. Social Action Center of Pampanga (SACOP) chairman Fr. Francis “Kiko” Dizon accompanied Aniceto and six other priests who concelebrated Mass before distributing the land title certificates.
Town officials led by Mayor Condralito “Carling” Dela Cruz, Vice Mayor Dexter David and Councilor Mark Valencia attended the occasion. LLLHI donated 27 hectares for the relocated families, including the lot where the Hacienda Dolores parish church was constructed.
Early this year, Education Secretary Armin Luistro accepted the land donation for the Hacienda Dolores Elementary School. According to barangay authorities, a day before the distribution of land titles they received information that unidentified individuals threatened to disrupt the activity by conducting “arson and liquidation if the title giving will push through.”
The municipal police already started an investigation into the alleged threat which residents believed emanated from the Aniban ng mga Mamamayan ng Hacienda Dolores (Aniban), a small group of farmers contesting the development in the area and “whose members illegally claimed parcels of land of LLLHI.”
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Anakpawis, Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson (AMGL) are some of the groups openly supporting Aniban. Despite efforts by LLLHI and local authorities to settle the dispute, the former said Aniban still filed a petition with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to nullify the DAR’s Issuance of Finality for the non-inclusion of its property for Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) coverage.
According to LLLHI, Aniban members “only based their claims from their previous tilling of some portion” of its property. In January, some 30 armed men attacked the LLLHI property where one security guard was abducted and tortured while an attacker was also killed.
Barangay Captain and Aniban President Antonio Tolentino who led the attack was later arrested on charges of abduction and kidnapping without bail. He is currently detained at the Angeles City jail. During the launching of Alviera late last month, ALI Vice President Meean Dy said the P75-billion Alviera project comprising 1,100 hectares will be completed over the next 20 years.
The business hub is envisioned to be home to 65,000 residents, 20,000 office and industrial workers and 20,000 students.
