DINALUPIHAN, BATAAN – A second warrant of arrest has been issued against four persons accused of defrauding several people by promising them a piece of land under the government’s agrarian reform program.
The Regional Trial Court Branch 5 of Dinalupihan, Bataan ordered the arrest of Rolando Martinez, alias Rolly, Magdalena Sanchez, Elizabeth Mesina, and Josefina Pasquil on August 7, 2023. They are facing charges of syndicated estafa, which is punishable by life imprisonment under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code.
According to the Joint Complaint-Affidavit, the accused lured the complainants to pay regular contributions, known locally as “butaw,” to allegedly finance their legal battles against Riverforest Development Corporation (RDC), the owner of the land they claimed to be beneficiaries of under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
However, the court noted that there was a discrepancy in the name of one of the accused in the information filed by the prosecution. The person charged was one Charito Pasquil instead of Charito Pilor, who was named in the Joint Complaint-Affidavit and the Resolution of the prosecutor.
The court ordered the prosecution to file the appropriate motion or manifestation with respect to the accused Charito Pasquil within five days from receipt of the order. The court also directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to execute the warrant of arrest against the other four accused through the e-warrant system.
Martinez is the suspended village chief of Barangay Sumalo, Hermosa, Bataan. He is also a member of SANAMABASU, a group of alleged land grabbers disguised as farmers who claim to be beneficiaries of CARP in Sumalo.
This is not the first time that Martinez and his group have been charged with syndicated estafa. Earlier, on February 21, 2023, another warrant of arrest was issued by Judge Maria Lourdes Eltanal-Ignacio (Bataan RTC Br. 5) against Martinez and eight other individuals for committing the same crime in Hermosa, Bataan.
Syndicated estafa is a form of large-scale fraud that involves three or more individuals conspiring to defraud people of their money or property. It is a non-bailable offense under Article 315 Paragraph 2 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Presidential Decree 1689.
The authorities have been on the lookout for the suspects, who are believed to have fled the area. The public is urged to come forward with any information that could help in the arrest of the suspects. Anyone who may have been victimized by the group is also encouraged to report the incident to the authorities.
In a related development, the Court of Appeals (CA) last December 2022 made a decision regarding the decades-long land dispute in Barangay Sumalo, which favors Riverforest Development Corporation (RDC). The CA ruled that the land in Sumalo is not covered by CARP because it is not agricultural, and that the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) made a mistake in granting the conversion status of the land ownership to Litton Estate. The CA also affirmed the Supreme Court’s decision in 2007 and the Torres Resolution from the Office of the President in 1997 allowing the conversion of Litton’s land ownership.
The CA’s decision, according to RDC’s Estate and Community Development Manager Dani Beltran, ends any attempt by Martinez and his group to seize the Litton Property through the questionable implementation of CARP.