BACOLOD City Councilor Ricardo Tan, who owns the Campuestohan Highland Resort in Talisay City, denied on Wednesday that they closed the road right-of-way of a Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) beneficiary at Sitio Campuestohan, Barangay Cabatangan.
Tan was responding to the claim of Ma. Jeanette Salla, who had earlier said the management closed the road going to their property during the resort’s expansion in 2014.
The councilor said they already settled the issue with Salla’s family along with Fr. Ernie Larida of the Diocese of Bacolod Social Action Center.
He added that Salla’s family agreed to pass at the resort, but during the meeting with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), they denied the agreement.
Salla also asked the assistance of Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano for the reestablishment of the road right-of-way.
However, Tan said Salla is no longer a beneficiary of Carp since the Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer (Maro) has already identified a new beneficiary of the land.
Tan’s lawyer Jovim Entila said Wilfredo Salla, husband of Ma. Jeanette, was disqualified by DAR as a Carp beneficiary after he abandoned the land as stated in the decision issued in 2003.
In 2013, Salla filed a motion for reconsideration before the DAR, but her motion was denied by the DAR regional director, Entila added.
Victor Montalbo of Maro was then directed to find a new beneficiary, and Bernardo Medina applied as a beneficiary and was qualified.
Entila said Medina also filed a case against the Salla couple to cancel their land title.
“The Salla couple has no right-of-way because they are no longer the beneficiary,” the lawyer added.
