Samahang Magsasaka ng Tartaria)
Over the years, developers have targeted the highway between Santa Rosa and Tagaytay as a prime development spot. Ayala Land, Inc. and the Lucio Tan-owned Greenfield Development Corporation first began development in Santa Rosa in the early 2000s, much to the dismay of farmers and residents who lived in the area.
By JUSTIN UMALI
Bulatlat.com
CALAMBA CITY, Laguna – Vendors and residents living along the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road in barangay Tartaria in Silang, Cavite have set up July 14 a barricade in an attempt to stop what they assert is an illegal demolition against an estimated 100 homes and businesses.
According to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Cavite, no court order was issued to the residents prior to the demolition. They also state that the Ifugao shops are being demolished to make way for a development project led by real estate giant Ayala Land, Inc.
The Silang Municipal Engineering Department, on the other hand, asserts that the Ifugao shop owners have no valid building permits. This is despite the fact that most of them have set up shops since 2010 or 2011.
“Ever since the pandemic, this is where we make money for expenses,” said one member of the Ifugao-Muslim Furniture and Pottery Shop Owners Association. “We still experience difficulties, from working and from harassment by the state. This isn’t new to us.”
The land in dispute is being claimed by Emilio “Orange” Aguinaldo IV, great-grandson of former Philippine president Emilio Aguinaldo. The Aguinaldo clan has been claiming some 300 hectares of land in Silang and Tagaytay, leading up to the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road known collectively as Lupang Aguinaldo, since 1940.
According to Samahang Magbubukid sa Tartaria (SAMATA), the Aguinaldos have no legitimate claim to the land, and that they only managed to procure land titles through “legal loopholes.” Most residents in Lupang Aguinaldo have lived in the area since 1911.
Currently, the Aguinaldos have employed at least 100 people as part of a demolition team, reinforced by at least 100 guards from Merge Core Security Agency. Residents and demolition teams are at a standstill as the local city government could not procure a court order for their demolition.
Series of demolitions
The Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road connects two urban centers in the provinces of Laguna and Cavite. It serves as an unofficial boundary between two large landholdings: Lupang Aguinaldo and the 7,100-hectare Hacienda Yulo.
Recently, the highway has been the site of roadside demolitions that seek to make way for urban development. Last July 9, at least 200 residents in sitio Cawad, barangay Santo Domingo, Santa Rosa, Laguna were displaced without prior warning. Much like the Ifugao vendors, the residents of sitio Cawad also made a living selling their wares along the highway.
The shops and houses demolished in sitio Cawad are slated to be replaced by a development project spearheaded by CrownAsia, which is owned by the Villar family. Cawad rests on the boundary of Hacienda Yulo, a landed estate notorious for its land-use conversion practices since the 1970s.
The demolitions seek to pave the way for commercial establishments along the highway leading up to Tagaytay, Cavite. Tagaytay is one of the listed “provincial centers” in the CALABARZON Regional Development Plan, a series of development projects spearheaded by the National Economic Development Authority.
Under the CALABARZON RDP, Tagaytay is slated to be reinforced as an “urban growth center.” Tagaytay is a known tourist destination, with hotels, parks, and other staples of urban development. Recently, the local government gave the go signal to reopen Tagaytay’s major tourist spots while observing health and safety protocols under general community quarantine.
Over the years, developers have targeted the highway between Santa Rosa and Tagaytay as a prime development spot. Ayala Land, Inc. and the Lucio Tan-owned Greenfield Development Corporation first began development in Santa Rosa in the early 2000s, much to the dismay of farmers and residents who lived in the area.
More recently, the Ayala-owned Makati Development Corporation constructed the Cavite-Laguna Expressway, as a means to connect Ayala Land’s Evo City in Kawit, Cavite and their Nuvali project in Santa Rosa, Laguna. CALAX leads directly to the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road, and is promoted as a means to reach Tagaytay more easily.
The CALABARZON RDPs is expected to continue until the end of the Duterte administration in 2022. Meanwhile, residents in the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road will have to contend with development from large corporations and the threat of demolition. (RVO) 
