KNOWN for the family’s penchant for lands, the family of former Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga has figured anew in what looks more like a usual controversy embarking on the usual victims — the farmers.
In Cabuyao, Laguna, 21 farmers and residents were arrested and detained at the Cabuyao Police since February 7 after resisting armed guards implementing a forceful demolition of their properties in Barangay Casile.
According to the farmers, the armed guards acted on orders of the Laguna Estates Development Corp. (LEDC) reportedly owned by the Yulos — the very same family that was earlier investigated by the Senate for landgrabbing in the towns of Coron and Busuanga, in the province of Palawan.
Witnesses claimed that armed guards started “securing” the barangay an hour past noon of February 7 — and thereafter violently dispersed residents assembled in a make-shift camp the residents built.
Apart from LEDC, another security group, Emirates Security Agency also took part in the violent dispersal of protesters that included senior citizens and some with mental health conditions and others with bladder diseases and diabetes, according to the Bayan Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Laguna chapter.
Some of those arrested and detained were officials of the Samahan ng mga Magsasaka ng Casile (SAMACA-PUMALAG).
To recall, the violence started sometime in 2024 over the illegal fencing of the farmlands wholly claimed by the Sta. Rosa Realty and Development Corp. (SRRDC).
Referred to as Hacienda Yulo, the property covers 7,100-hectares of sugar estate spanning the cities of Calamba, Cabuyao, and Santa Rosa. The entire estate was placed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) after the late strong Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was ousted.
The Yulo family, through LEDC and the SRRDC, is claiming ownership over what remains of Hacienda Yulo — a 255-hectare farmland.
The Supreme Court in March 2006 ruled that the disputed property was agricultural and not exempted from CARP, upholding the acquisition by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for farmer-beneficiaries.
Aside from Yulo’s LEDC and SRRDC, also claiming ownership of the farmlands are the Ayala Corporation and a lesser known San Cristobal Realty Corp.
A related land dispute of the Yulo family is the high-profile controversy involving the Yulo King Ranch (YKR) in Palawan, which is a protected public domain area established by presidential proclamation in 1975.
News reports and a Senate resolution in 2024 have highlighted allegations that the Yulo family has unlawfully occupied and claimed ownership of the 40,000-hectare ranch, which is ten times the size of Manila.
Former DENR Secretary Yulo-Loyzaga denied allegations, stating her family has never owned the land and has no interest in owning it, emphasizing it is government property.