SC orders DepEd to vacate Cagayan land

The Supreme Court has ordered the Department of Education (DepEd) to vacate a parcel of land in Cagayan occupied by its Solana Fresh Water Fishery School.

The High Court ruled that DepEd does not have permission from the rightful owner, Princess Joama Marcosa Caleda, who possesses a superior legal claim to the 10,637-square-meter property.

Caleda acquired the land in 2014 and took prompt action by sending demand letters and filing a case within two years of discovering the school's occupation, demonstrating her right of possession.

DepEd's claim of purchasing the land in 1965 was not sufficient to overcome Caleda's superior right, as affirmed by lower courts and the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court's Second Division denied DepEd's petition for review in a decision penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.

The Court clarified that its findings are provisional and solely pertain to the recovery of the property's possession.