Beyond Boundaries: Examining Land Disputes and Their Resolution in Baguio City

Authors

  • Elvis G. Bugtong Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia
  • Johnson W. Mangsi Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia
  • Crisselda S. Felix Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia
  • Rona Angelie G. Allaga Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia
  • Dalyne B. Bagsang Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia
  • Almira L. Delico Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia
  • Tessie B. Lingbanan Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia
  • Drazen A. Palaez Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.07.08.28

Keywords:

Adverse Effects, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Fraudulent Land Titles, Land Disputes, Land Resources

Abstract

This research study was about land conflicts in Baguio City. Forty-two professionals involved in land surveying and land conflicts resolution served as respondents. The descriptive research design was used with the questionnaire as the main data gathering instrument. Based on the data gathered, the study has found that boundary disputes, conflicting land claims, inheritance issues and land grabbing were among the most frequent and topmost cause of land conflicts in Baguio City; land conflicts have great effects on people and community; and the actions undertaken were very effective to resolve land conflicts. The conclusions are the following: land is a valuable and important resource to people, communities and the State which make conflicts inevitable to occur; illegal or fraudulent acquisition of land can cause hardships and great loss to people, communities and government; and conflicts can be resolved through judicial proceedings, mediation-arbitration, and other diplomatic means which are deemed very effective to concerned community, local and government leaders.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Elvis G. Bugtong, Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia

    Cartographer IV

  • Johnson W. Mangsi, Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia

    Cartographer II

  • Crisselda S. Felix, Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia

    Baguio Central Professor

  • Rona Angelie G. Allaga, Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia

    Admin Officer II

  • Dalyne B. Bagsang, Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia

    Ecosystem Management Specialist I

     

  • Almira L. Delico, Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia

    Admin Aide IV

  • Tessie B. Lingbanan, Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia

    Admin Officer II

  • Drazen A. Palaez, Keningau Vocational College, Malaysia

    Taxmapper I

References

ADB (2009). Poverty in the Philippines: Caus-es, Constraints and Opportunities. Manda-luyong City, Philippines: ADB

Agoot, L. (2022). Baguio warns public vs. sale of voided land titles. From: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1187594

Baumeister, R.F. & Vohs, K.D. (2007). "Realis-tic Group Conflict Theory". Encyclopedia of Social Psychology. 2: 725–726.

Borras, S.M. Jr. (2009). Chapter 8: Land Redis-tribution in the Philippines. In: Binswanger-Mkhize, H.P. et al. (eds.). Ag-ricultural land redistribution: toward greater consensus. Washington, DC: World Bank, 215-240.

Brief, Arthur P.; Umphress, E.E.; Dietz, J.; Butz, R.; Burrows, J.; Schoelten, L. (2005). "Community Matters: Realistic Group Conflict Theory and the Impact of Diver-sity". Academy of Management Jour-nal. 48 (5): 830–844. doi:10.5465/amj.2005.18803925.

Briones, N.D. (2005). Environmental Sustaina-bility Issues in Philippine Agriculture. Asian Journal of Agriculture and Devel-opment, 2(1-2), 67-78.

Boudreaux, K. et. el. (2017). Community land conflicts: how local land disputes affect private sector investments and develop-ment projects. From: https://cloudburstgroup.com/wp-con-tent/uploads/2017/10/Cloudburst_LEGEND_Community_Land_Conflicts.pdf

Bourdreaux, K. & Sacks, D. (2009). Land ten-ure security and agricultural productivity. From: https://www.mercatus.org/research/policy-briefs/land-tenure-security-and-agricultural-productivi-ty#:~:text=Land%20tenure%20security%20refers%20to,groups%20in%20relationship%20to%20property.

Bruce, J. & Boudreaux, K. (2013). Land and Conflicts. From: https://www.land-links.org/issue-brief/land-disputes-and-land-con-flict/#:~:text=Violent%20conflict%2C%20whether%20episodic%20or,because%20of%20fear%20of%20violence.

Cabreza, V. (2019). Baguio mayor seeks re-view of ancestral land sales. Philippine Daily Inquirer. October 22, 2019.

Calmorin, L.P. (2010). Research and Evalua-tion. Manila : Phoenix Publishing House

Carling, J. (2001). The Cordillera experience. From: https://asiasociety.org/cordillera-experience

Climate Diplomacy (n.d.). Land conflict in the Philippines. From: https://climate-diplomacy.org/case-studies/land-conflict-philip-pines#:~:text=For%20decades%2C%20land%20distribution%20has,wealthy%20landlords%20and%20the%20state.

Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA)(20028). The proposed Baguio Charter: Transforming Baguio’s land problem from bad to worse. From:https://cpaphils.org/campaigns/baguio%20landconf%20position%20paper%203_sept3.htm

Department of Environment and Natural Re-sources (DENR) Cordillera Administra-tive Region (n.d.). Land claims and con-flicts settled. From: https://car.denr.gov.ph/index.php/news-events/photo-releases/1586-land-claims-and-conflicts-settled

Department of Environment and Natural Re-sources (DENR) (2021). DENR eyes ex-pansion of alternative land dispute reso-lution mechanisms in 2022. https://www.denr.gov.ph/index.php/news-events/press-releases/3461-denr-eyes-expansion-of-alternative-land-dispute-resolution-mechanism-in-2022

Fischer, G., van Velthuizen, H.T., Shah, M.M. and Nachtergaele, F.O. 2002. Global Agro-ecological Assessment for Agriculture in the 21st Century. IIASA Research Report. IIASA, Laenburg, Austria. Available at: http://landportal.info/library/resources/978-1-84971-326-9/state-world%E2%80%99s-land-and-water-resources-food-and-agriculture.

Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)(2002). FAO emergencies: conflicts. From: http://landportal.info/library/resources/fao-emergencies-conflicts

Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)(2011). The state of the world's land and water resources for food and agriculture (SOLAW). From: http://landportal.info/library/resources/978-1-84971-326-9/state-world%E2%80%99s-land-and-water-resources-food-and-agriculture.

Gonzales, L. (2016). Urban sprawl: Extent and environmental impact in Baguio City, Philippines. From: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314253453_Urban_sprawl_Extent_and_environmental_impact_in_Baguio_City_Philippines

Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) (2020). Land resource conflicts in the Philippines. From: https://gltn.net/2020/02/25/land-and-resource-conflicts-in-the-philippines/

Hamon, Raeann R. "Conflict Theory." Encyclo-pedia of Family Studies (2016): 1-5.

Handoko, W. (2019). Impact of land conflicts. From: https://www.shs-confer-en-ces.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2020/14/shsconf_icore2020_01039.pdf

Handoko, W. (2020). The impact of land con-flict on Darmakradenan toward social, economic, and politic vulnerability in the life of farmers ‘community. From: https://www.shs-confer-en-ces.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2020/14/shsconf_icore2020_01039.pdf

Havel, J.J. (n.d.). Land use conflicts. From: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-00948228_10#:~:text=Land%20use%20con-flicts%20are%20defined,parties%20in%20land%20use%20conflicts

House Bill No. 2813 (The Proposed Baguio Charter: Transforming Baguio’s Land Problem from Bad to Worse. From: https://cpaphils.org/campaigns/baguio%20landconf%20position%20paper%203_sept3.htm

Jackson, J. W. (1993). "Realistic Group Conflict Theory: A Review and Evaluation of the Theoretical and Empirical Litera-ture". Psychological Record. 43 (3): 395–415.

Kahl, C.H. (2006). Chapter 3: Green Crisis, Red Rebels: Communist Insurgency in the Philippines. In: Kahl, C.H. (ed.). States, Scarcity, and Civil Strife in the Developing World. Princeton University Press, 65-116.

Kennedy, B. Jr. (2001). Environmental Scarcity and the Outbreak of Conflict. Population Reference Bureau.

Knight, R. (2018). Practical ways to resolve land conflicts. From: https://learn.tearfund.org/en/resources/footsteps/footsteps-101-110/footsteps-105/practical-ways-to-resolve-land-conflictsResources

Land Portal (n.d.). Land and conflicts. From: Landportal.org/issues/land-conflicts

Oxfam International (2014). Beyond Safe Land: Why security of land tenure is cru-cial for the Philippines’ post-Haiyan re-covery. Joint Agency Briefing Paper. Ox-ford: Oxfam GB.

Program on Negotiation (n.d.). What is media-tion and arbitration? https://www.pon.harvard.edu/tag/mediation-and-arbitration/

Quitasol, A. (2013). Unscrupulous land titling a problem in Baguio City. Northern Dis-patch August 11, 2013. From: https://nordis.net/2013/08/11/article/unscrupulous-land-titling-a-problem-in-baguio-city/

Republic Act No. 876. Arbitration Law. Repub-lic of the Philippines

Republic Act 9285. An Act to Institutionalize the Use of An Alternative Dispute Resolu-tion System in the Philippines and To Es-tablish the Office For Alternative Dispute Resolution, and For Other Purposes

Respicio & Co. (2023). Resolving land disputes in the Philippines: A legal perspective. From: https://www.respicio.ph/features/land-disputes-in-the philip-pines#:~:text=In%20the%20Philippines%2C%20land%20disputes,presented%20by%20the%20parties%20involved.

Rohatji, V. (2003). Inferential statistics. Cali-fornia U.S.A. :Clampton and Associ-ates Book Publishers

Sidanius, J. & Pratto, F. (1999). Social Domi-nance: An Intergroup Theory of Social Hierarchy and Oppression. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 17–18.

Siedlecki, S.L. (2020). Understanding descrip-tive research designs and methods. From: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338300876_Understanding_Descriptive_Research_Designs_and_Methods.

Subong P. (2006). Statistics and research. Ma-nila. Rex Bookstore

Tadem, E.C. (2015). Philippine Agrarian Re-form in the 21st Century. Land grabbing, conflict and agrarian‐environmental transformations: perspectives from East and Southeast Asia, 5-6 June 2015, Chiang Mai University. Discussion Note No.2.

United Nations Interagency Framework Team for Preventive Action (n.d.). Land and natural resources. From: https://www.un.org/en/land-natural-resources-con-flict/pdfs/GN_ExeS_Land%20and%20Conflict.pdf

United States Agency for International Devel-opment (USAID) (2011). Philippines: Country Profile. Property Rights and Re-source Governance.

United States Agency for International Devel-opment(n.d.), USAID Brief: Land and Con-flicts. From: land-links.org/wp-con-tent/uploads/2016/09/USAID_Land_Tenure_Land_and_Conflict_Issue_Brief-061214-1.pdf.

USAID (2011). Philippines: Country Profile. Property Rights and Resource Govern-ance.

Vargas, A. (2003). The Philippines Country Brief: Property Rights and Land Markets. Land Tenure Center, University of Wis-consin-Madison.

You, J.S. (2014). Land Reform, Inequality, and Corruption: A Comparative Historical Study of Korea, Taiwan, and the Philip-pines. The Korean Journal of Internation-al Studies, 12(1), 191-224.

Whitley, B.E. & Kite, M.E. (2010). The Psychol-ogy of Prejudice and Discrimination. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. pp. 325–330.

World Bank (n.d.). Population growth (annual %) - Philippines. World Bank Open Data. [Date of access: 24.12.2021]

Yang, Y. & Zhu, L. (2013). Theories and diag-nostic methods of land use conflicts. From: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/148886/?ln=en Marxism: Structural con-flict theory. From: http://www.sociology.org.uk/notes/pctmmarx.pdf. Realistic conflict theory. From: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realistic_conflict_theory).

Downloads

Published

24-08-2026

How to Cite

Bugtong, E. G., Mangsi, J. W., Felix, C. S., Allaga, R. A. G., Bagsang, D. B., Delico, A. L., Lingbanan, T. B., & Palaez, D. A. (2026). Beyond Boundaries: Examining Land Disputes and Their Resolution in Baguio City. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research, 7(8), 3646–3666. https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.07.08.28