Bayan Muna Partylist-Camanava condemned the personnel and guards of Carmel Development Incorporated (CDI), a company owned by Gregorio Araneta III, for harassing residents of Pangarap Village and the students and teachers of Pangarap Village Elementary and High School in District 3, Caloocan City.

The teachers were able to access the school on July 29 but guards barred them from entering the next day. Classes have been cancelled since then. On July 30, armed guards locked the gate to the village, with CDI claiming that the schools stood on its private land.

Bayan Muna Partylist chairman Atty. Neri Colmenares said closing the school is a direct violation of the right to education. “It is unacceptable to put the interest of a private company before the right to education of the youth,” he said.

Instead of defending the students’ right to study, the the Department of Education’s District Office in Tayo Caloocan City issued School Memorandum No.35 S.2024 ordering the transfer of students not residing inside the village. This will adversely affect students from Mt. Heights, Ciudad Real, Sapang Alat, Adeline, and neighboring barangays, according to Bayan Muna Partylist-Camanava.

The DepEd also ordered Pangarap Elementary School and Pangarap High School advisers to talk to the parents of the affected students, burdening them of the task of explaining the move to disgruntled parents.

Guards continue to harass Pangarap residents. Bayan Muna Partylist-Camanava reported that angry CDI personnel went house-to-house to hunt for residents who had complained and reported the village’ closure to the media.

The ongoing harassment stems from Araneta, Pres. Marcos’ brother-in-law, who is claiming ownership of the 156-hectare Pangarap Village. This area covers Barangays 181 and 182 of Caloocan City, and is home to approximately 40,000 residents. These residents have been experiencing various kinds of harassment, intimidation, and demolition from the CDI for decades. The Araneta family’s tactics include cutting off electricity, water and nightly patrols by its guards.