people suspect that a title was issued but lost in Manila. His other landholdings are titled.”33
Lately the heirs began to piece together what to them were facts based on the documents in their possession, oral accounts from their older relatives and their own personal experience with the current barangay officials in Barangay Impao. These experiences include the incident in March 2007 when they attempted to help Datu Sanggutin return to his former lot in Barangay Impao. With these, they started believe that Antonio Lozada was in connivance with the lawyers and DENR personnel. In an interview with one of the heirs, he cited the following as evidence of manipulation: • Lozada stood to gain the greatest there; he also initiated installation of people in the area; • Bureau of Lands tampered the name of Datu Talipasan Impao to Caram Development Corporation which is a ghost corporation. We didn’t know anything about Caram. It is a dummy corporation which probably belongs to the group of the Lozadas in Negros; • The decision was handed down when we were in the evacuation area;
The land claim as evidenced by lot assignment in a legitimate government survey plan was not cancelled. According to the heirs, no one has the authority to cancel the property of the State or private property without legal proceeding.34 Their departure did not extinguish those rights either; hence they are entitled to recover claimed lands. In recovering these lands, the heirs prefer that settlers give back their land peacefully or else they suffer punishment from Allah. “Don’t be like those who seek trouble, be thankful you are in our land because we are not oppressive people unlike other Muslims. Even if they are our tenants, we do not take their poultry or other animals. For us, you make a living here, send your children to school because you will not be here all throughout your lives because there are plenty of us heirs. My grandfather’s land is not enough to divide among us.” The heirs however acknowledge the development introduced by the Christian settlers. According to Nasser: “Settlers developed the land, no question about this. Hence, they must be compensated for their efforts. In conscience, I acknowledge it is their right to be compensated.”
The same heir said that they also received word from some Christian residents of the barangay who said that they did not have interest in the lands of his grandfather. But the large portions of his (Datu Talipasan) that he had not sold are occupied by Tony (Lozada). If you want proof, you can have these surveyed. He also pitied some Christians were victims of sweet talk, having been convinced that fabricated papers were authentic and there are no claimants.”35
Originally, the Moro families continually claim that they do not consider the Ilonggo families as their enemy. They did not suspect their Christian neighbors to have done the burning (of their houses), although they believe that the burning was done in order to prevent the Muslims from coming back.
Land Tenure Stories in Central Mindanao
Land Tenure Book 1001.indd 92
If the heirs consider the Christian settlers as partly victims of deception, this is because they hold the DENR, especially some 92
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