Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el (right), chief of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), is confronted by Alfredo Aton, who claimed to be the owner of a lot in barangay Subangdaku where two taxi operators were ordered to vacate. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)
TWO taxi operators were ordered to vacate a 2,204-square meter lot they have been leasing for years in barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City.
Sheriff Cesar Seno Jr. of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 1 served the writ of execution against former policeman Carlos Antiligando and his business partner, Estela Yap.
Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el Jr., chief of the Mandaue police, said, the implementation of the court order was peaceful even if “new claimants” showed up.
Members of Alpha Omega World Development Marshall Programme showed up and insisted that they are the real owners of the lot.
Around 50 policemen were on hand to secure the area.
Alfredo Aton, mandate trustee of AOWDMP, said apart from the lot, they also own the “7,169” islands and islets of the Philippine archipelago.
“We don’t have to acquire the lot because we own the whole archipelago,” he told reporters.
Aton gave documents to reporters and police, purportedly showing that they are the real owners of the lot.
Antiligando and Yap are operators of Binibini Taxi.
Antiligando said they have been renting the open space on Zuellig Street at the Mandaue reclamation for four years already.
Seno said the original owners were listed as Mariano Go and Conchita Go.
The writ of execution stated that a portion of the lot was owned by the Gos and was leased by the defendants in a contract that will expire on September 25, 2015.
The Gos, however, sold the lot to Iron Wood Property Ventures Corp. and signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Antiligando and Yap for the pre-termination of their lease contract.
Under the agreement, Antiligando and Yap agreed to pre-terminate their lease contract in June 2013.
The Gos even paid P1.3 million as disturbance fee to the defendants.
On June 25, 2013, the day they agreed to vacate the lot, the defendants asked to extend their lease until they could find another place.
Last Jan. 23, 2014, the Gos sent another notice to vacate but Antiligando and Yap requested for a one-year extension, a request that the lot owners turned down.
On March 19, 2014, the lot owners again sent a demand letter to the taxi operators to vacate the lot but again, the latter asked for an extension to stay.
They were given until Sept. 5, 2014 to vacate the property.
With the continued refusal, the lot owners demanded that they be paid P30,000 as exemplary damages, P2,000 as attorney’s fee and appearance fee and P10,000 for litigation expenses.