Lemonal Land Dispute, a Case of Squatting
The ongoing land dispute in Lemonal Village, between the Banner and Anthony families, brings into sharp focus the issue of squatting, as well as a need for owners to possess titles for their respective properties. Sharon Mae Whylie, wife of Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie, has presented documents giving her the right to possess the parcel in question. That title has been recognized as legitimate by Village Chairman Kenroy Reynolds. On the other hand, Tony Anthony, a retired corporal of police, says that he has been occupying a portion of that land for well over a decade, after retiring to the village in the mid-nineties. He says that the move by Whylie to acquire the property undermines his prescriptive rights to the piece of land.
Tony Anthony
Tony Anthony, Lemonal Resident
“That’s total chance. I’ve got thirty-odd hogs there, seventeen pens, construction concrete. How can I give that up? That’s thousands of dollars, you know, I’m minding hogs for me and my sister and a friend in New York. I’ve got about thirteen coconut trees that are bearing, I sell coconuts. I sell coconut water off that place, people come and by coconut water from me, you know. I give a hog every year to the winning team here. So even they eat my pigs when it’s party, so now it’s surprising to me and all of us are family. The commissioner da noh mi family but he is family-in-law, you know. So I feel very bad mein and I don’t want to lose my place because I put in a lot of work.”
Isani Cayetano
“Now the question here is whether or not you, sir, have any title over the adjacent property because that is what is being asked, whether or not you have papers to show that that belongs to you.”
Tony Anthony
“I got a paper that is an application for lease and I’m on the area for over… I’ve been cleaning the area for over twenty years and I’ve got hog pen there for over twelve years. So that right there stands for it. I was at that place before Whylie came to Lemonal. But to your question, I applied for lease and I’ve been to Lands and they say it’s in process. Mr. Vallejos, the Commissioner of Lands, tells me dehn cyant get that! He told me that because the paper they got is fake.”
