The Saul family, whose agricultural land in Brgy. San Jose, San Miguel, Iloilo has been their home and livelihood for decades, faces eviction after the 14th Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) granted real estate developer Communities Iloilo, Inc. the right to “forcibly enter” their property. The family is at risk of losing their home as the court permits the developer to move forward with demolition.
Communities Iloilo, Inc., reportedly tied to Vista Land, a real estate giant owned by the Villar family, seeks to take over the land for non-agricultural purposes. The Villar family’s $11 billion net worth underscores the stark inequality in this struggle between farmers and developers.
The Saul family contends this issue is agrarian in nature and should fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Despite their calls for DAR’s intervention, the agency has failed to act. A DAR certification, crucial for reclassifying this as an agrarian dispute, could have halted the developer’s takeover.
This case is part of an alarming trend wherein agricultural lands are increasingly converted into subdivisions and commercial estates. Such actions displace farmers and undermine the nation’s food security. The land being grabbed is irrigated and essential for neighboring farms, making it unsuitable for conversion.
The Saul family’s plight mirrors that of countless other farming communities across the country. The growing encroachment of real estate developments is wreaking havoc on local agriculture, endangering the livelihoods of farmers and threatening the country’s ability to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.
We call on the public to stand in solidarity with the Saul family and all other affected farmers in resisting land-grabbing and land-use conversions.
updates from the peasant movement of the Philippines 