JAN.

24, 2012 DATE

NR # 2658
REF. NO.

Termination of planned construction of bus-train station, depot and MRT station sought
Party-list lawmakers are calling for the termination of the planned construction of the intermodal bus-train station/depot and other stations of Metro Rail Transit 7 saying this will displace the farmers and urban poor residing in the affected areas in Bulacan, Caloocan City and Quezon City. In House Resolution 1713, Reps. Rafael Mariano (Anakpawis), Teddy Casio (Bayan Muna) and Emmi De Jesus (Gabriela) asked the House Committees on Agrarian Reform and Transportation to review the contract and dig deep into complaints, particularly of the affected farmers, that they were not consulted on the planned construction of the intermodal bus-train station/depot of MRT 7 in the area. MRT 7 is a government project linking the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 1 and MRT 3. The $1.235 billion project will run from Tungkong Mangga, San Jose Del Monte City Bulacan to SM City North EDSA. The project will pass through Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City and Tala, Caloocan City. It also includes a 45 kilometer road going to Bocaue Exit of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). MRT 7 is expected to provide transportation solution, efficient mass transit and intermodal station to accommodate provincial buses in the outskirts rather than along EDSA, to decongest the city, to achieve massive energy savings, considerable pollution reduction and to meet the requirements of deficit neutrality. The primary private investor of MRT 7 is the Universal LRT Corp, whose main investor is Hong Kong-based El International Holdings owned by businessman Eli Levin from Israel. Other corporate investors to the project are Redford Assets Limited, owned by Henry Sy, La Costa Development Corp., and Tranzen, which are reportedly owned by Salvador Zamora II, China Railway 18 Group and Merlin Pacific Capital from Canada. The intermodal bus-train station/depot of MRT 7, which will have a terminal for buses going to North Luzon and will cover the 103.475 hectares of land occupied and being tilled by farmers belonging to San Isidro Sandigang Samahan ng Magsasaka (SASAMAG) in Sitio San Isidro and Tungkong Mangga Upland Farmers Association, Inc. (TMURFAI) in Sitio Ricafort. The two sitios are part of Barangay Tungkong Mangga in San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan.

JAN. 24, 2012 DATE

NR # 2658
REF. NO.

In 1998, the 311 hectares in Tungkong Mangga were placed under the coverage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). However, the Araneta family opposed the coverage by filing a Petition for Exemption before the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Due to the inaction of DAR on the petition, the Araneta family designated security guards and barred the farmers from bringing construction materials for their houses, prohibited the entry in the area, destroyed the farmers crops and harassed them. According to farmers and residents of the contested area, it is just right that the lands of Tungkong Mangga be distributed to the farmers because historically, the Araneta family mortgaged the land during the Martial Law years, to Manila Banking Corporation (MBC) owned by Fernandez and Puyat. The mortgaged land was then foreclosed by MBC and later was used as collateral by the MBC to secure loans from the Central Bank. In 1987, the assets of MBC, including the land mortgaged by the Araneta family, have been placed under receivership of the Central Bank. Since the land is the subject of an agrarian case and still pending with the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC), the Araneta family claiming ownership over the land has no right to impose policies and decisions regarding the land which included consenting to the construction of the intermodal station of MRT 7, Mariano said. The farmers feared, the solon added, that with the appointment of Mar Roxas as Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOTC) the forced eviction of more than 300 farmer-families residing and tilling the 311 hectares claimed by the Aranetas in Tungkong Mangga in San Jose Del Monte City Bulacan will be fast-tracked. (30) sb