Mayor files civil case vs. teacher over land row

Carcar City Mayor Nicepuro Apura filed a civil case against a public school teacher and her husband who claimed he allegedly tried to assert his claim on their property in Barangay Valladolid last week.

Apura sought the intervention of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) after Marlene Cantiberos Entienza and her husband, Francisco, refused to leave a 2,222-square-meter property that he bought from the couple’s relatives.

Apura also filed separate complaints against Entienza’s brother Hernani and his wife Reynelyn.

Apura asked the court to order Entienza and the other respondents to vacate the property, pay him a reasonable rent for its use; and pay him P30,000 in exemplary damages and P48,000 in legal fees.

But Entienza, in a separate interview, said she and her family are ready to face Mayor Apura in court.

Entienza plans to file criminal and administrative charges against Apura before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas after the latter allegedly harassed her and her family over a land dispute.

In his complaint, Apura said he acquired around 2,019 sq.ms. from the heirs of Severo Oberes in Barangay Valladolid.

After Oberes’s heirs sold the property to Apura in December 2017, he was provided with a deed of partition of heirs with deed of absolute sale.

Entienza and her family, along with the Cantiberos couple, are currently residing in the property.

After the sale, Apura told the respondents about his ownership of the properties and asked them to vacate these.

He offered a portion of his property to which they could transfer.

But Entienza and Cantiberos reportedly refused the mayor’s offer.

In January this year, Apura sent a final demand to Entienza and Cantiberos.

But the two still refused to vacate, forcing Apura to bring the matter to the Lupong Tagapamayapa of Barangay Valladolid.

Apura’s brother, Celso, is the current village chief of Barangay Valladolid while his wife, Merceditas, also served as village chief there a few years back.

After both parties failed to come up with a settlement, a certificate to file action was issued by the Lupon.

Apura said he is seeking damages against the two families because of their refusal to honor his claim.

“The deliberate and unjustified refusal of the defendants to vacate the premises owned by the plaintiff (Apura) should be condemned as a transgression and a wrongful example in a civilized community,” Apura added.

But Entienza, in a separate interview, continue to assert that the property being claimed by Apura is rightfully hers as she inherited it from her father who bought the property from her siblings in 2014.

“Even if napalit na na ni Mayor, dili man na sakto kay kami ang unang nakapalit (Even if the mayor had bought it, it wouldn’t be right because we bought it first),” Entienza said.

Entienza said they are willing to show the court their documents to prove they own the property.