By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Citing possible conflict of interest, House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro has called on the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to address the complaints of farmers in Yulo King Ranch, owned by the family of Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.

Castro disclosed that the Makabayan bloc which filed a resolution seeking a congressional probe on the issue, will also review the complaints of the farmers.

The Makabayan bloc is composed of party-list lawmakers espousing the so-called “national democratic” political line.

“Kailangan naman tignan din ng Marcos administration itong problema ng ating mga magsasaka dyan sa Yulo ranch,” Castro said.

It was learned that the Makabayan bloc had filed House Resolution 50 as early as July 2016 to investigate in aid of legislation the Yulo King Ranch (YKR) Corporation owned by the family of the current DENR chief.

YKR came into being when 39,238.93 hectares of land in Coron and Busuanga in Palawan was declared by the first Marcos administration as pasture reserve through Proclamation 1387.

However, after the February 1986 civilian-backed military uprising on EDSA in Mandaluyong City that toppled the 20-year Marcos Sr. regime, the land was sequestered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) assigning the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) as the estate’s fiscal agent to administer the land.

In March 2010, the Supreme Court (SC) lifted the sequestration order in response to YKR Corp’s Motion to Lift Sequestration filed in October 1996.

“Pag-aaralan nga natin yung tungkol dyan dahil may mga kaso daw na pangangamkam ng lupain dyan sa lugar na yan at yun nga ang sinasabi ng ating mga magsasaka, may conflict of interest,” Castro maintained.

The opposition lawmaker said the Agrarian Reform department should also get involved in the probe.

“Well sa DAR (Department of Agrarian Reform) ano, sana tingnan din yung hinaing ng ating mga magsasaka dyan…. at kung makikita yung conflict of interest dyan ng Sec. Yulo sana ang DENR ay imbestigahan din yan dahil syempre ang ating mga magsasaka dapat ang nagmamay-ari ng kanilang mga lupang sinasaka dyan,” Castro quipped.

The Makabayan bloc claimed that there were already farmers cultivating the land even before Proclamation 1387 was issued.

It added that the farmers were also reportedly given “token” compensation by the YKR Corp.

Yulo-Loyzaga has not issued any statement as of this posting on Sunday (24 Dec 2023).

(IAmigo/MNM)