I have experience with this,, the proper route is to play their game.. Ask how much they want to move. When they give you a price say ok, i am going to give that amount to a good lawyer and you will get nothing. Any competent lawyer has connections with the DENR, City Engineers Office. DOH,, DOLE, Noreco if they have electric and DCWD if they have a water connection without a land title. Let the locals handle it just help them out a bit.. These people have turned squatting into a well paid profession even though its against the law.. The city government payed millions to buy out all the squatters on foreshore and private land on the boulevard extension to the north..

 

I disagree. This conversation is not "completely pointless". The issue is about the neighboring land. Not the land he is residing on. It is reasonable to assume that he has an interest in the property he resides on. A lease would be enough to give him legal standing.

The OP did say "when we came for a visit". It is reasonable to assume that "we" includes a citizen wife or partner who has legal standing here. The issue is the neighboring property. It is not our place to interrogate him as to his interest in "his" (or owned through a partner) property.

 

I am a 100% Filipino

 

With seawall or without, if your legal property has a mohun / border marker, and the beach is government / public land including the environmental protection zone, and now people are settling there, they are illegal. The question is, who will help you out. Normally the barangay / municipality should take care of this. If they don't you have a problem. You go to court, this decision can take a lifetime. Maybe you can try to buy out these people.

 

A good example for why not to leave a property completely unsupervised when away.

 

you are right, but unfortunately the news spread around already. some people know they can make money by occupying land. specially if foreigners are involved. guess also some people in our area use that business scheme. but some people are really poor and just need land to settle down.

 

I think to go down that route would only entice another lot to move in once the word gets around that there's free money available.

 

Did you buy this? Or did a Filipino buy it? Or do you just ‘own’ the corporation that bought it. I’m no expert, but the laws on foreigner property ownership have you at a disadvantage right away. Lawyer up.