Roving blue guards and armed officers have become a daily sight for residents of Pook Aguinaldo, Pook Malantik and Area 17 as the UP Office of the Vice President for Development (OVPD) continues to push its development projects in the area.
Since the proposal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Park in 2025, alongside plans for a housing project, community members have reported unclear relocation plans, insufficient consultations and the removal of their crops by construction personnel without warning.
On June 15, residents of Pook Malantik reported security guards uprooting and destroying their crops. The guards allegedly said they were acting under orders from the university.
The OVPD has also led the construction of a multipurpose outpost in Pook Aguinaldo and a housing model unit in Pook Malantik, both of which are part of the planned SDG Project.
Office of the Vice President for Development (OVPD) brought blue guards and construction workers to Pook Aguinaldo, Diliman for the construction of the multipurpose hub on May 13.
Photo by Macy Motril
Vice President for Development Daniel Peckley Jr. said the project aims to uplift the living conditions of communities. But residents in the area oppose the plan over fear of displacement, as more than 800 families stand to lose the decades-old disputed land they use for housing and agriculture.
“Nakikipag-usap naman kami dahil talagang hindi kami pumapayag kasi kami ang mapeperwisyo,” said 71-year-old farmer Antonio Dizon. “Ang tagal naming dinevelop ‘tong lugar namin, pagkatapos sila ang makikinabang.”
In partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, the plan promises housing for those expected to be displaced by the project.
However, Malantik Community Association President Esperanza Tumolva said the allotted 400 of the 1,200 housing units are not enough for the affected residents, as the rest of the units are for UP students and employees.
According to residents, guards have also begun requiring permits for activities such as bringing in farming materials or home renovation supplies.
“Nakaka-trauma lalo na sa mga bata kasi bakit nandiyan sila? Wala naman kaming ginagawa at hindi naman sa kanila ‘to,” said Bandy Ventula, secretary-general of Nagkakaisang Magsasaka sa Barangay Krus na Ligas.
Tumolva said the situation has placed an additional burden on residents, who are already grappling with the country’s ongoing economic challenges.
Land dispute
Despite the community’s resistance, Peckley said in a dialogue on May 13 that the administration does not need residents’ consent to proceed with the project, as UP claims rights over the land.
But Dizon said his ancestors first began farming the area long before the university moved its main campus from Manila to Diliman in 1949.
In a letter dated Sept. 5, 2006, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) issued a notice of coverage to then UP President Emerlinda Roman that identified the area for distribution as agricultural land under Republic Act No. 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), which aims to redistribute agricultural fields to landless farmers and workers.
But in a document issued on Feb. 26, 2026, DAR informed UP President Angelo Jimenez that the land shall be exempt from CARP’s coverage, citing R.A. No. 6657 Sec. 10, which excludes school sites and campuses from the program.
The letter said that the subject area cannot be redistributed because of “UP’s land utilization plans which envision a cluster housing project for its faculty and administrative staff to be built therein.”
UP also pushed back by providing the residents with what they described as an ‘illegible’ land title document, Transfer Certificate of Title No. RT-27912 (192686), to support its claim over the land. Meanwhile, residents said the UP administration often diverted legal issues during dialogues.
“Ilang beses may barikada pero never silang nakipag-usap nang maayos sa amin. [H]inihintay namin sila. Kami pa ba ang matatakot sa kanila?” Tumolva said.
While the administration claims the SDG Park project is meant to “improve the UP community’s quality of life,” its members believe it is merely a ploy to displace the residents for commercial purposes.
With plans to include a golf driving range and clubhouse complex as presented to the residents, they say the administration’s statements and the project proposal seem to be misaligned.
“Hangga’t kaya naming lumaban, lalaban kami. Hanggang sa huling dugo namin, dito na kami. Sabi ko nga sa kanila, kunyari magbu-bulldozer, handa ba kayong humiga sa bulldozer? Kailangan handa na tayo diyan dahil ‘yong kabuhayan natin, ng pamilya natin, ang mawawala,” Dizon said.
“Oo, buhay nga tayo [pero] wala naman tayong ikabubuhay. Anong mangyayari sa atin?” he added.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The original version of this article was submitted to the The Newsroom (J 121) class under Senior Lecturer Ma. Theresa Martelino-Reyes.
