“Our policemen should not be involved since this is a land dispute.”

CAGAYAN DE ORO — Due to unsettled demand for the status quo, farmers were pushed to closely keep their eyes on the disputed land within a state-run university in Barangay Dologon, Maramag, Bukidnon.

Herman Santillan, designated spokesperson of the affected farmers, told Bulatlat that they established a makeshift waiting shed along the road—not inside the disputed area—within Central Mindanao University (CMU) to prevent any elements that try to slip into the land while they are waiting for the revalidation of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

The makeshift area, Santillan said, is around a three-minute walk from their residences.

The affected farmers are members of the Bukidnon Free Farmers and Agricultural Laborers Organization (Buffalo), the Triad Agricultural Manpower of Rural Active Workers (Tamaraw), the Landless Tillers Inhabitants of Musuan (Limus), and the Musuan Inhabitants’ Landless Farmers Association (Milfa). They are collectively known as Buffalo-Tamaraw-Limus-Milfa (BTLM).

On August 18, tension once more occurred between the two parties. In a video circulated online, CMU Security Director George Gewan said that they only provided security to CMU’s regular cultivating operation.

Affected farmers, however, questioned the so-called activity as well as the presence of the Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel, who were there to conduct police visibility. “Our policemen should not be involved since this is a land dispute,” Santillan said in the vernacular.

Sometime in June, through a video call, Santillan said that he was able to talk to CMU President Rolito Eballe. He said that the university’s top official verbally agreed to maintain the status quo.

“What I said to President Eballe was, we are just farmers but we will stand by what is agreed upon. The CMU should also stand the same since this is just a verbal [agreement],” Santillan said in the vernacular.

CONTEXT:Bukidnon farmers continue campaign for land rights

The farmers have been demanding the status quo since there was an order from Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III dated May 28, 2026.

The order declared an August 2024 DAR Validation Committee resolution null and void and ordered the inclusion of CMU lands that are “not actually, directly, and exclusively utilized for educational purposes” in Executive Order (EO) No. 75-2019 which directed all government agencies to identify state-owned lands suitable for agriculture for distribution to qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Affected farmers, Santillan said, are pushing for ownership of around 600 hectares of land.

Lawyer James Violon, CMU legal counsel, earlier said that they have not received such an order. However, Abdullah Linog, DAR Region 10 assistant director for operations, confirmed that there was an order issued by the DAR secretary, saying that they are waiting for the order’s finality, or the issuance of a certificate of no appeal (CONA), before they can start the revalidation.

In 2022, the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Valencia City, Bukidnon issued a certification stating that a portion of over 1,800 hectares within the 3,000-hectare CMU land “has been verified and found to be within the portion of alienable and disposable.”

All alienable and disposable lands of the public domain devoted to or suitable for agriculture are covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

“CMU […] should also press DAR to resolve this problem,” Santillan said. (DAA)

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