THE island of Luzon is traversed by three mountain ranges. Its
geological spine, the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, is a 540-kilometer
stretch from Cagayan to Quezon. The Cordillera Mountain Range, measuring
320 kilometers cuts through Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Nueva Ecija, and
between the two is the Carballo Mountain Range. These three nurture the
headwaters of the mighty Cagayan River. The Sierra Madre and Cordillera
were so impenetrable, the Spanish empire could barely stake territory
with Cross and Sword.
Now a strange and insidious thing is
happening in the Sierra Madre, especially in its mountain slopes in the
provinces of Rizal and Laguna. Big businessmen from Manila are buying
tracts of land there; it is whispered that some operate through dummies,
natural or juridical, and acquire land covered by tax declarations
which, as any law student will tell you, are not conclusive proof of
ownership.
Article taken from manilatimes.net: https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/07/08/opinion/columns/the-great-sierra-madre-lockdown/1899618
