Central Mindanao University Academic Paradise of the South
The Regional Trial Court (RTC), 10th Judicial Region, Branch 45, Malaybalay City, has issued a decision denying the appeal filed by the Buffalo-Tamaraw-Limus Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BTL) and the Musuan Inhabitants’ Landless Farmers Association (MILFA). Although the ruling was finalized in August, Central Mindanao University (CMU) only recently received the official copy of the decision.
The RTC affirmed the decision dated June 18, 2024, rendered by the 4th Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC), Maramag, Bukidnon, in the action for Forcible Entry (Civil Case No. 5628-24) filed by CMU. The decision confirms that CMU, an agricultural educational institution owned and operated by the State, is the possessor of 3,080 hectares of land reserved for educational purposes via Presidential Decree No. 476. CMU has historically utilized the land for instruction, research, extension, and production.
The RTC ruling underscores that BTL and MILFA failed to overturn the MCTC’s findings of fact and conclusion. The court established that CMU proved the requisites for Forcible Entry:
- CMU had prior physical possession.
- CMU was deprived of possession through force, violence, intimidation, and threat when the defendants entered the property on July 31, 2023, without CMU’s consent. The court noted that illegal occupation expanded to include roughly 129.30 hectares of rice field and 24.88 hectares of its Beef Cattle Project.
- The case was timely filed on February 26, 2024, which falls within the one-year period required by the Rules of Court.
The RTC found the appeal unmeritorious, emphasizing that the main issue in forcible entry is physical possession. CMU previously secured a Special Writ of Demolition on December 10, 2024, which was issued on February 13, 2025, targeting improvements constructed on the 155 hectares. The demolition was enforced on June 16-20, 2025.
