Squatters invade Fort Magsaysay

A military camp named in honor of the late President Ramon Magsaysay has become a haven for squatters, with 15,000 of them taking over portions of the Army reservation.

Maj. Gen. Ireneo Espino, camp supervisor and commanding general of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, has disclosed that only 48,000 hectares of the original area of the reservation is left untouched by the squatters.

Espino said the informal settlers have set up shanties and structures in 25 barangays inside and around the reservation, with more families building fences around portions of the 73,000-hectare property.

Espino said he has asked the National Defense to intervene and relocate the squatters to put an end to the exodus of informal settlers.

Espino said because of the presence of informal settlers, some portions of the reservation have been reconfigured to suit the training of troops to make sure no civilian gets in the way.

“We restructured certain areas for training and demos because we don’t want any civilian getting hurt,” Espino said.

Col. Amadeo Azul, infantry chief of staff, told newsmen that of the 25 barangays inhabited by squatters, eight are within the reservation area and the rest are within the camp’s boundaries.

The reservation is home to the 7th ID which has administrative and operational jurisdiction over soldiers deployed in eight provinces in Northern and Central Luzon. These provinces cover 16 cities, 164 municipalities and 4,478 barangays with a population of 11,642,976.

Some people posing as farmers managed to secure titles to a big portion of the reservation.

Azul said a few soldiers also claimed part of the reservation, induced by the rush of squatters.

Col. Felicito Trinidad, brigade commander of the 702nd Infantry Brigade based in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija recalled that when he was still an Army major in 1997 and up to 2001, there were only small families of informal settlers occupying portions of the reservation.

“During that time, it was not that much of a problem. In fact, we were even conducting medical missions in those areas.But now, it has become a major, major concern,” said Trinidad whose brigade covers the 1st, 2nd and 3rd congressional districts of Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, six towns of Nueva Vizcaya, two towns of Quirino and Dinapigue in Isabela.

Ferdie Domingo, Manila Standard Today