Oo, pero may limitasyon.
Ang kapangyarihang ito ay tinatawag na “eminent domain,” “expropriation,” o “forced purchase.”
Pero ‘di lang basta-basta ito puwedeng gamitin. Dapat meron ang sumusunod na requirements:
- the property taken must be private property;
- there must be genuine necessity to take the private property;
- the taking must be for public use;
- there must be payment of just compensation; and
- 5) the taking must comply with due process of law.”
Ibig sabihin, dapat kailangan talaga ng gobyerno na kunin at gamitin ang inyong lupa- at ang paggagamitan nito ay proyektong para sa taumbayan (i.e. para sa “public interest,” “public benefit,” o “public convenience.”)
Sa pagkuha ng lupa, dapat bayaran ng gobyerno ang halaga ng property- o tinatawag na just compensation.” Malinaw ito sa Article III, Section 9 ng 1987 Constitution: “Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation.”
Expropriation proceedings
Para magamit ng gobyerno ang kapangyarihang ito, kailangan dumaan sila a tamang proseso at magsampa ng apropriyadong kaso sa korte. Tinatawag na “expropriation proceedings.”
Sa kasong ito dinedetermina ng korte ang dalawang aspeto:
- Una: tama nga ba ang paggamit ng gobyerno sa kapangyarihang ito? Totoo bang kinakailangan at ang proyekto ay para sa publiko? Kung wala- ididismiss ng korte ang kaso at hindi puwedeng kunin ng gobyerno ang lupa.
- Pangalawa: kung makita ng korte na talagang namang may karapatan – idedetermina naman sa kaso ang tamang halaga na dapat ibayad ng gobyerno para sa property.
Ang just compensation ay katumbas ng “fair value of the property as between one who receives, and one who desires to sell… fixed at the time of the actual taking by the government.”
Ito ‘yung halagang dapat makuha ng owner “in order to restore and make him ‘whole’ as he was prior to the taking.” Ibig sabihin- dapat patas ‘ang presyo at hindi palugi.
Sa pag-determina ng nararapat na halaga ng bayad, maaaring tingnan ng korte ang sumusunod:
- The classification and use for which the property is suited;
- The developmental costs for improving the land;
- The value declared by the owners;
- The current selling price of similar lands in the vicinity;
- The reasonable disturbance compensation for the removal and/or demolition of certain improvement on the land and for the value of improvements thereon;
- The size, shape or location, tax declaration and zonal valuation of the land;
- The price of the land as manifested in the ocular findings, oral as well as documentary evidence presented; and
- Such facts and events as to enable the affected property owners to have sufficient funds to acquire similarly-situated lands of approximate areas as those required from them by the government, and thereby rehabilitate themselves as early as possible.”
Sakop ng judicial determination ang paggamit ng karapatanng ito ng gobyerno at dapat dumaan sa tamang proseso sa korte.
Kung sakupin man ng gobyerno ang private property nang walang expropriation proceedings, may karapatan ang apektadong partido na magsampa ng kaso para i-recover ang property o maningil ng just compensation. Sa kaso, puwede ring maningil ng danyos perwisyo:
“The owner may recover his property if its return is feasible or, if it is not, the aggrieved owner may demand payment of just compensation for the land taken. “
“The taking of the respondents’ subject land without the benefit of expropriation proceedings and without payment of just compensation, clearly resulted in an ‘expropriate now, pay later’ situation, which the Court abhors.
xxx
This irregularity will not proceed without any consequence. The Court had repeatedly ruled that the failure of the government to initiate an expropriation proceeding to the prejudice of the landowner may be corrected with the awarding of exemplary damages, attorney’s fees and costs of litigation.”
Supreme Court G.R. No. 147245