The anti-Marcos group Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA) has commended the Supreme Court’s decision to declare void and unconstitutional the 1978 lease contract that recognized former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. as the owner of a 57-hectare property in Paoay, Ilocos Norte.
In its decision issued on September 4, the SC ruled that the 25-year lease contract between Marcos Sr. and the Philippine Tourism Authority was null and void.
The ruling, penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, emphasized that the land in question was never titled under Marcos Sr.’s name.
It was also noted that the heirs of Marcos Sr. filed free patent applications for nearly all of the 57 hectares in 2000, 22 years after the lease agreement was signed. Six of these applications were approved, while two remain pending.
The ruling, signed by 10 justices, stated that the land had been declared a national park in 1969, making it ineligible for free patents.
It further revealed that the free patents had been granted to Senator Imee Marcos and her sons, Michael Manotoc and Fernando Martin Manotoc.
The SC recommended that the government initiate proceedings to reclaim the property. For the land covered by free patents, the decision noted that it should be resolved in lower courts.
However, the SC mentioned that it could still be recovered if the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) grants the Office of the Solicitor General the authority to reverse the proceedings.