LandBank ordered to pay P1.38B
for lands voluntarily offered to CARP

THE Supreme Court has ordered the state-owned Landbank of the Philippines to pay Davao del Norte landowners P1.38 billion as just compensation for voluntarily offering some 1,388.6 hectares of land to the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

The SC Third Division dismissed Landbank’s second motion for reconsideration and its request to refer the case to the Supreme Court en banc.

The high court also assailed the DAR Adjudication Board (DARAB), an agency of the DAR assigned to determine just compensation for lands acquired under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, for sitting on the complaints for determination of just compensation filed by Apo Fruits Corp. (AFC) and Hijo Plantation Inc. (HPI). The SC said DARAB failed and refused to render a decision on the valuation of the subject parcels of land despite the lapse of more than three years, prompting AFC and HPI to elevate the complaints before the Tagum RTC.

However, the Court denied AFC and HPI’s motion for partial reconsideration seeking the Court’s re-imposition of the 12 percent interest on the balance of P95.2 million, representing the difference between the judgment award of P1.38 billion and the amount already paid for the subject properties.

Based on court records, AFC and HPI voluntarily offered to sell two parcels of land in San Isidro, Tagum with an aggregate area of 640.3483 hectares and three parcels of land with a total area of 814.5308 hectares, respectively.

On Oct. 16, 1996, AFC and HPI received separately from the DAR’s Provincial Reform Officer (PARO) of Davao province a notice of land acquisition and valuation, informing AFC that the value of the properties had been placed at P86.9 million while HPI’s properties were valued at P164.4 million. Both AFC and HPI found the valuations unreasonably low and inadequate as just compensation for the properties.