Members of the Negros Occidental Agricultural College task force appealed to the Negros State College of Agriculture Board of Trustees to review the illegal detainer cases filed against the NOAC settlers in Kabankalan City.

NOAC, now known as NSCA, was converted into a school reservation in 1946, but it has been confronted by squatting problems because there were occupants prior to the proclamation, Kabankalan Mayor Pedro Zayco Jr. said.

NOAC, which covers an area of 4,653.7033 hectares, was also unable to control the number of settlers because of its vast area, he added.

In a position paper dated Nov. 16, the NOAC task force requested for the review of the illegal detainer cases because NSCA, an agricultural institution, cannot perform well due to squatting problems.

About 1,434 families, occupying an area of almost 3,711.7958 hectares, have been living in the NSCA reservation, which shows there is a socio-economic problem, the NOAC task force said in the paper that was obtained by the DAILY STAR from Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Lito Coscolluela.

The position paper was filed because of the "social tensions" that arose at the NSCA reservation area on Nov. 10 brought by the execution of the illegal detainer cases filed against the squatters, Zayco, who is a member of the NOAC task force, said.

The execution of the cases also prompted the illegal settlers to stage a silent protest inside the compound of the Kabanklan City hall, he added.

The cases that were decided upon were numbers 937 and 945, while the pending cases are numbers 934, 935, 936, 938, 939, 940, 941, 942, 943, 944 and 946.

The NSCA coverage area is also occupied by two barangays, five elementary schools and 11 day-care centers.

"The NSCA vehemently objects the segregation of its coverage area and it must only be utilized for the school's various programs and projects without any area for settlement," Zayco said in the position paper.

Zayco also called for unity saying that the challenge for NSCA as an institution should start from the grassroots of the society like farmers, who are settling in the reservation area.

The NSCA should also help the national government agencies and local government units in finding solutions that would benefit both the institution and the settlers, he said.

Solutions such as organization of cooperatives, social laboratory and extension work should also be implemented by NSCA to assist the settlers, he added.

Zayco said resettlement in other municipalities is also not possible under the existing conditions of Kabankalan City.*CIT

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