Xavier University, Developer Ordered to Explain Commercial Use of School Property
By Benjamin Cuaresma
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has ordered Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan and property giant Cebu Landmasters Inc. to explain the legality of an ongoing multibillion-peso commercial development inside a 64-hectare university-owned property in Uptown Cagayan de Oro.
In a directive issued by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), both parties were given 15 days to submit documents and legal explanations defending the conversion of portions of the land into residential and commercial projects.
The controversy erupted after lawyer Ralph Metrillo, representing concerned residents, filed a petition seeking the confiscation and possible forfeiture of the entire property over alleged violations tied to the original government land grant issued in 1958.
Metrillo argued that the property was awarded for educational purposes and therefore cannot legally be used for private commercial activities under provisions of the Public Land Act of 1936.
According to the DENR investigation, the property covered by Original Certificate of Title No. 126 may still be subject to restrictions linked to its original government grant. Authorities have now asked Xavier University and Cebu Landmasters to identify any law or legal basis authorizing the site’s commercial development.
In response, XU and CLI strongly defended the project, insisting in a joint statement that their partnership remains fully legal and backed by “absolute legal certainty.”
The two groups maintained that Xavier University has possessed full ownership rights over the property — widely known as the Manresa estate — for nearly seven decades. They also argued that any administrative restrictions tied to the original land grant had already expired in 1968 under the protections of the Torrens land registration system.
The disputed project is part of the university’s long-term “Campus of the Future” masterplan, which seeks to modernize Jesuit education facilities in Mindanao.
Under the proposal, around 14.6 hectares of the property will be transformed into a mixed-use township development, with proceeds expected to fund the construction of a new 21-hectare university campus. Another 28 hectares are reportedly being preserved as a forest reserve.
Despite the legal challenge, Xavier University and Cebu Landmasters declared they would continue moving forward with the project, describing it as a long-term legacy development for future generations.
Meanwhile, Metrillo revealed that the DENR central office had already instructed regional officials in Northern Mindanao to conduct a formal investigation and prepare for possible legal reversion proceedings involving the land.
He described the DENR action as a major step toward enforcing restrictions attached to government-awarded educational properties.
ia/xf
