Central Mindanao University Academic Paradise of the South
Central Mindanao University (CMU) clarified that it has not received any official copy of a reported order concerning the validation of portions of the university’s educational reservation. This statement was made during a media conference at the Office of the President Conference Room on July 6, 2026.
The conference was held regarding the latest intrusion of CMU lands by members of BUFFALO-TAMARAW-LIMUS (BTL) in the recently recovered areas in Green Valley.
University President Dr. Rolito G. Eballe disclosed that CMU was neither furnished with the alleged order nor allowed to participate in any proceedings related to its issuance.
“We were not furnished an official copy of that and were not involved. We were not given the chance to submit our position as part of due process,” the CMU President disclosed during a recent press briefing.
CMU private legal counsel, Atty. Jeoffrey Sayson, emphasized that the university cannot take legal action based on reports or unofficial copies of the document.
“We could not act on anything that has not been officially served upon Central Mindanao University,” Atty. Sayson said.
According to Atty. Sayson, implementing such an order without formally notifying CMU would raise serious due process concerns.
“If they implement that without giving a copy, that is certainly a violation of the due process of law,” Atty. Sayson said.
The university added that once it obtains an official copy, it will immediately examine its contents to determine whether it infringes upon CMU’s legal rights over the educational reservation.
“As soon as we get hold of that, if we see that there’s a right of Central Mindanao University being infringed, we will not be wasting time in filing the appropriate petitions or pleadings before the proper court or body of jurisdiction,” Sayson said.
Atty. Sayson also added that such an order would contradict the provisions of Executive Order 75 issued in 2019.
CMU also maintained that previous legal rulings remain in effect. The university cited the 1992 Supreme Court decision declaring the CMU reservation established under Presidential Proclamation No. 476, series of 1950, as an educational reservation not covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). University officials likewise noted that a previous DAR validation committee had reportedly ruled that CMU lands are exempt from the coverage of EO75.
The university further explained that while its land titles were cancelled in a 2016 Supreme Court decision, the ruling was based on a procedural issue involving the titling process and did not alter the public character of the land. CMU maintains that the property remains part of the public domain and that the university continues to be its rightful possessor.
The university said it remains prepared to pursue all available legal remedies should any official action be found to infringe upon its rights.
The BTL has moved back into recently recovered areas in Green Valley. The group claims a new order from the DAR authorizes them to revalidate CMU lands for upcoming distribution. [Johnica Chantal G. Montero]
