Appendix C
Letter from Antonio Villanueva to the Director of Lands

Andres Bonifacio, La Carlota, Occ. Negros
October 27, 1919

Sir [Director of Lands],

In behalf of my own interest and the interest of my neighbors whose lots are shown as indicated with numbers of their respective applications and homestead entries, in the attached sketch, I have the honor to inform you of the following.

On October 6th of this year, a number of persons headed by Mr. Miguel Netumay of La Carlota, Occ. Negros, who afterwards we learned that he is an encargado of Mr. Samuel F. Ramos & Co., had come to our homes and told us that the lots we now occupy as indicated in the attached sketch are owned by the said Mr. Samuel F. Ramos & Co. In reply, we informed this encargado that the lots we occupy belong to the Government. Without minding what we said the next day (Oct. 7, 1919) this encargado with his men cleaned a site for a house to be erected there. This is an evidence of the conscienceless and aggressive determination to occupy our lots.

Later, we were informed that they will cultivate the land for sugar cane. Few days after, a good number of carabao were brought to the place in question. This shows further evidence of their interest to claim for our lots.

Now, that we are aware of the things taking place and not unmindful that we are being deceived, we wish to beg of you that without your mercy towards the poor and helpless but by no means right like us we will not be able to fight for our rights in order to get back our land for the reason that the claimants are the most prominent and well-to-do in this town. To inform you of the standing of the claimants, Mr. Samuel F. Ramos who is handling the claim is the Justice of the Peace in the Municipality of La Carlota, Dr. Vicente Locsin besides being the Physician of this district is one of the richest if not the richest man in the town of La Carlota, Occ. Negros and Mr. Angel Ledesma who has been elected Vice President of the Municipality of La Carlota, is a well-to-do gentleman, also.

The three above-mentioned gentlemen are listed as owners of lot No. 998 (Public land (River Bottom) according to 1916 list of lots found in the office of the Secretary of the municipality of La Carlota, Occ. Negros);

which, according to a title of transfer No. 1456 its inscription took place last September 11, 1919 and the Original Certificate on Sept. 8, 1919.

Mr. Marcelo Baldera who is said to have sold to these three gentlemen the above lot (No. 998) had only subscribed and sworn his declaration Tax No. 3894 and Certificate of same on the 21st day of March 1919, a period which is almost 5 years later than when the undersigned filed his Home-stead Application No. 23024, H.E. No. 13117 (Filed May 2, 1914). Regarding a statement (Declaration Tax No. 3894 and Certificate) that taxes on lot No. 998, wherein our homestead lots are included, which commenced in the year 1915, I have the honor to state herewith that such taxes have only been paid last Sept. 24, 1919 at La Carlota, Occ. Negros under Provincial Treasurer Land Tax Receipt No. E-5197254. This shows that the land in question was Government's land (and we believe is still Government land) until they had paid fully the taxes. This is a proof that the Director of Lands was right to approve our applications because the time shows that the land was yet Government land at the time we applied for them.

We can not imagine what procedure they did in fixing the matter with the Provincial or Municipal Treasurer so that Mr. Marcelo Baldera could pay taxes of the year 1915 when the records found in the office of the Municipal Secretary of La Carlota, Occ. Negros show that the lot in question was Public Land since the year 1916.

As to the statement that Mr. Marcelo Baldera had acquired the lot in question through the rights of his ancestors, I declare herewith to the best of my knowledge and belief that none of his ancestors had ever cut down a single tree or had ever struck with the hoe the land we occupy.

Whether Mr. Marcelo Baldera had acquired right to register the lot No. 998, in question, through influence (which is probably the case) we can not tell because we did not have knowledge of the time he registered the land.

Sir, to inform you that we are poor and that we can be smashed, as most rich and influential people believe, I state herewith that my neighbors and I do not own even a spot of land here in the Philippines, except this land where we are now working.

As to their information that they would cultive the land for sugar cane, we do not care what crops they will plant in other portions of the lot (No. 998), provided that the claimants will not include the parts we occupy. We being poor who do not have capital like they have, do not propose to do more than to produce food stuffs that can help to maintain our living. They, being rich who have money to buy private lands at any time they want, if they have conscience and mercy on us, should leave us the portions we occupy and they can continue working on the portions that do not belong to us.

To mention the fact how hard it is in the life of a poor man to improve

a piece of land, by planting bamboo, bananas and food crops, I wish you could imagine him, working either under sunshine or under rain; with iron bar to dig holes in the ground; with hoe to pulverize the soil oftentime bathed with sweat from head to heel.

The claimants informed that they would pay us the improvements we have made. They can say and do that but what about us? Where will then be our home sweet home? It is natural for human being, from childhood to manhood, that he loves more the things that he owns than those which are just loaned to him. In short I should say it will be more advantageous to have real Philippine Native Citizens . . . [as] owners than few rich influential land owners who usually keep the poor under miseries.

If we could only show you the bloody sweat that dropped from us on the land we now occupy, when we were at work, we [would] do so, but as we can not, we give you only an idea of the hardship that we endured in order to make improvements on the land we now dearly occupy. These rich people who are born with easy life naturally can not see nor figure the hardship we suffer. The only hardship they have (every body knows) is to break up their heads to fill up their ambitions or to look for ways, either thru influences or whatever means, by which they can increase their wealth.

There is a common saying here that "influence works wonder". We hope, however, that for our case, you would exert all our influence to save us from the threatening injustices and oppressions of the mighty. This is to say that the land we have been occupying since the Spanish time and lived faithfully therein will likely be taken by the mighty persons in a minute. We hope that these merciless rich people who are proud because they are influential and who think that they could easily rob the rights of the poor and non-influential ones be given a lesson by teaching them squarely by the power of the law which your office has in store for the poor. Negros in particular and the Philippines at large will never attain its highest development of prosperity if we the poor that make the mass or the greater part of the population will always be allowed to be oppressed by the rich and influence of richness and high offices.

To show how I had and have been faithfully observing the requirements of the Government, I enclose herewith papers showing collections made from me by the Municipal Treasurer of La Carlota, Occ. Negros.

O.R. No. 1024293 Ser. A, Initial payment of P10.00 Gen. Form 13 (A) and final payment of P10.00 O.R. No. 2047855 Ser. A for my homestead have been made in your office.

Since the policy of our Government is to distribute land equally as far as possible among her Citizens, I therefore hope that you will not tolerate that our land be taken from us by influential men who have no right at all to do so.

I wish to inform you that I have already received the Forms for Final Proofs on my land. I would be very glad to hear from you as soon as possible so that I can fill them out and submit for your consideration.

Equality among men is the safest foundation of Democracy. Trusting for your immediate action on the matter, I beg to remain,

Very respectfully,

Antonio Villanueva

His thumb mark

The Director of Lands
Manila, P.I. . . .

Source: Quezon Papers, National Library of the Philippines, Manila.