Torres group tops gov’t list of squatting syndicates

There are at least eight squatting syndicates operating in the country and at the top of the list is the group headed by Wilfredo Torres, according to a report by a Philippine National Police task force on squatters.

According to the report, the syndicates use various kinds of evidence to lay claim to “almost the whole of the Philippine archipelago.”

The report, prepared by the PNP task force on professional squatters and squatting syndicates, was released Friday by the office of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Binay, who heads the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), had asked for a report on the status of these syndicates and the cases filed against them.

Among the groups named were the Tallano-Acop group, Henry Rodriguez group, Don Mariano San Pedro y Esteban, World War II Veterans, Legionnaires of the Philippines, Divinely Fantastic Land Recovery (D’ Flare), Doña Lourdes Yanesa group (Kadakilaan Estate) and the La Compania de Agricola de Ultramar.

According to the paper, these groups are well-organized and extensively connected.

Modus

One of their modus operandi is to send letters to residents of target areas, advise them to voluntarily vacate the land and threaten occupants with court charges.

The groups, the report said, also use propaganda materials such as brochures, posters or billboards to give them a semblance of legitimacy.

The syndicates have copies of fake titles, copies of deeds of sale, certificates of occupancy to show to their victims as proof of ownership.

Cited as an example in the report was a letter of “demand to vacate the premises” supposedly signed by Torres as landowner and sent to residents of Barangay (village) Lomo de Gato, Marilao, Bulacan province.

The letter indicated that “residents or occupants of their property should vacate the premises,” otherwise the landowner would file the appropriate suit for unlawful occupation with ejectment against the residents and the latter would be liable for damages, attorney’s fees and cost of suit.

To complete the propaganda, the report said, the squatting syndicates would post photos of their offices and give business addresses to show they are legitimate.

Forced to settle

The syndicates’ purpose is not only to steal the land but also to extort money from legitimate owners, who sometimes are forced to “settle.”

The police classified these squatting syndicates into three types.

For the Category 1 type, the manner of operation is described as “purely documentation. They gather documents which can be easily falsified, using contacts with other government agencies and the courts.”

Their modus operandi is to choose a large piece of land occupied by squatters, then show a fake title to support the informal settlers’ occupancy and then collect money from them as initial payment.

They will then help the squatters to file a claim in the courts against the legitimate landowner or force the owner to settle and pay them.

Categories 2 and 3

The Category 2 type of syndicate will organize a large community of informal settlers and use the invalid titulo de propriedad to collect money from the association and also use it to file a case in the courts for cancellation of title against the real landowner.

In the Category 3 type, members of the syndicate are supported by certain government, police or military officials whose names they will mention to show “legitimacy and power.”

It organizes urban communities and invades parcels of land, simultaneously constructs the squatters’ houses and registers the group in the Securities and Exchange Commission.