DAR

prepares
for
redistribution of Hacienda
Roxas
- December 27, 2014

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is gearing up

for the redistribution of the Hacienda Roxas in Nasugbu,
Batangas, next year (2015).
Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio R. de los Reyes said
the DAR started early this month the revalidation of
beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program-Extension with Reform (CARPer) for the said
landholding owned by the late Pedro Roxas.
De los Reyes met with DAR officials in Region 4A and
Batangas province on December 18 and ordered them to
start interviewing potential beneficiaries, including
farmers and workers of Hacienda Roxas.
The DAR is expected to come up with a new master list of
beneficiaries within the next few months as a result of a
Supreme Court (SC) order.
It will be recalled that the Roxas family waged a legal
battle to keep its landholding intact which resulted in the
delay of the distribution process. The SC eventually

ordered the DARs reacquisition of the subject lands for

distribution to qualified beneficiaries.
In response to the SC order, the DAR issued notices of
coverage on the Roxas property anew, excluding those
portions that were previously exempted from CARP
coverage on September 27, 2012 and June 17, 2014.
The revalidation of beneficiaries aims to cleanse the list
of beneficiaries.
As part of the revalidation process, farmers were asked to
bring the certificates of land ownership award issued by
the DAR in 1992 and 1993, as well as other documentary
evidence.
Owned by Don Pedro Roxas, the 2,600-hectare Hacienda
Roxas encompasses three small haciendas namely
Hacienda Palico, Hacienda Banilad and Hacienda
Caylaway. These three haciendas are in nine barangays in
NasugbuReparo,
Blaran,
Lumbangan,
Cogonan,
Catandaan, Banilad, Tumalim, Aga and Caylaway.
The Hacienda Roxas is the third biggest landholding ever
to be covered by CARP.
The two others are the Hacienda Yulo of the Yulo family in
Canlubang, Laguna, which was eventually exempted from
CARP coverage, and the Hacienda Luisita of the
Cojuangco-Aquino family, which was successfully
distributed by the DAR to 1,612 beneficiaries.

The coverage of Hacienda Roxas under CARP started as

early as 1988. The Roxas family offered to sell the 867hectare Hacienda Caylaway for distribution to landless
farmers.
In Hacienda Caylaway, three titles with total land area of
856 hectares were covered, while the 227 hectares where
the school, chapel, public market, rivers and roads are
located, were exempted.
The following year, the DAR had issued notices of
coverage through compulsory acquisition of the two other
haciendas of the Roxas family. Hacienda Palico has 1,024
hectares while Hacienda Banilad has 1,050 hectares.