May 26, 2018

To Our Beloved President Rodrigo Duterte:

Around 1995, an influential group, Marva Development Corp who had very close relationship with
high ranking military or police officials and a close link to the Paranaque Mayor then, utilized Rep. Act
7279 or what is known as Lina’s law as instrument to convince all my siblings to sell out to them all
my siblings’ share in our family inheritance in a land located at Don Bosco Village, Paranaque City at a
real bargain price. They wanted to buy me out too but I could not be convinced since I know very
well that their price was stupidly cheap and moreover, I need the property badly, not only for myself
but for my children too and the rest of the family as well. They were so persistent to buy me out and
when they couldn’t, they slowly allowed the intrusions of squatters which culminated in truckloads
of squatters being brought to my property through the authority from Paranaque City Hall. I did
everything I could to fight for my right. I asked the squatters to stop their intrusions but instead I was
harassed, complained to the Baranggay Office, and then to the City Hall. All these were in vain and
out of desperation, I sought the help of the media and the help of then Congressman Golez who
advice me to go to PAO. On three different occasions, I went to PAO but their answers at that time
were all the same, “ We don”t handle property cases”. I learned from someone that anyone could file
a case against erring government officials in the Ombudsmman with no need of a lawyer and with no
expense at all. So I filed then a case against the mayor and the barangay chairman then for violation
of Sec. 30 of the Rep. Act 7279. At first, I thought everything was going properly but eventually
everything turned out all the same and prove only one thing, an ordinary person can never go
against the powerful and the influencial. In 2003, all the structures in our property were burned
down thus I went right away to the Baranggay Office to seek their help not to allow the squatters to
rebuild in my property but this too was in vain. Around 2014 when I was already a senior citizen and
jobless, I qualified for PAO services however I felt that their lawyer is hesitant to support me because
of a possible clash with the city government officials and as shown now, what I felt seems to be true
because very ironically instead of an eviction case being filed against the illegal occupants in our
property, our property now is being expropriated.

This property to be expropriated is only a fraction of the family inheritance and almost all of that
family inheritance was already taken away from us when they bought out all my siblings’ shares at a
very unreasonable cheap price. If this property should still be taken away from us, my children too
will be landless.

I am very much aware of your big heart for the homeless and the poor which make me hesitant to
write you this letter. But this is no longer just a question of helping the homeless and the poor, this is
already about chaos and mob rule, landgrabbing and abuse of power, crime and corruption,
abominable deeds and great injustice which are all very contrary to public good or welfare. Thus I
hope that you will see our present predicament not superficially but deeply and I know you will,
because I believe our beloved president does not only have a big heart, you are also very wise, fair
and just.

I know very well how insignificant I am and does not deserve even a little of your precious time and
yet I still hope and pray that I may be allowed to have an audience with you to discuss this terrible
problem on squatting and urban development and perhaps contribute a little on its possible solution.
Very Respectfully Yours,

Carlos Batto, Jr.

NOTES:

1) A or the above letter is my Complaint Letter To President Rodrigo Duterte which I emailed
Malacanang on May 26, 2018.

2) Malacanang acted on my complaint through an email sent by Asec. Jaime Mabilin to Mayor
Olivarez and forwarding to him my Complaint Letter To President Rodrigo Duterte on June 22, 2018.
A copy of this email/letter which I received on July 16,2018 is what I am attaching hereto as B.

3) After I had waited for sometime and having received no answer from Mayor Olivarez or Paranaque
City, I called up Malacanang to follow up on it. Malacanang, then told me ”I may go directly to
Paranaque City to get their response” which I did. Thus on August 13, 2018, I had a meeting with
Mayor Olivarez.

4) What transpired in that meeting, I reported back to Malacanang through my email sent and dated
August 22, 2018, a copy of which, I am attaching hereto as C.

5) Then after, Malacanang endorsed my case to the DILG. My case at present is with the DILG Legal
Dept., Trial and Investigation Division.