In 1954, labor leader Democrito Mendoza acquired a fishpond permit for the bay.
A boy swims at Silot Bay in Lilo-an town. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)
In 1967, President Ferdinand Marcos ordered that all fishpond areas be released by the Bureau of Forestry to the Bureau of Lands as “alienable and disposable” to accelerate the fishing industry.
In 1973, Liloan Mayor Cesar Bugtai objected to Mendoza’s application for a sales patent at the disputed area.
The auction and bidding continued. The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources recommended its award to Mendoza.
In 1974, the property was awarded to Mendoza upon the approval of President Marcos.
In 1990, the DENR filed a case for the government to recover the property and won six years later in the Regional Trial Court.
In 2001, the Court of Appeals reversed the ruling.
It said there was no official declaration that Siloy Bay is a “communal fishing ground.”
It said the Bureau of Lands and Fisheries inspected Silot Bay and considered it a “natural fishpond.”
The appellate court said Silot Bay is alienable and disposable.
In March 2007, the Supreme Court upheld the Cas decision, making it final.
Source: Background facts in the decision of the Court of Appeals
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