San Antonio Land Occupation: Investigation into Planning & Funding Launched

Chile’s Housing and Urban Development Ministry has launched an investigation into the origins of the massive land occupation in San Antonio, seeking to determine whether the settlement was deliberately planned and financed by outside actors. The inquiry will examine aerial and photographic records to reconstruct the sequence of events and assess whether technical resources like topographical surveys were utilized in a coordinated effort.

Housing Minister Iván Poduje stated that there is evidence suggesting individuals funded the unauthorized seizure of the land. “We wish to establish who provided the drones, who provided the surveying,” Poduje said, according to BioBioChile, implying a level of pre-planning that contradicts claims of a spontaneous occupation.

The investigation comes as the government seeks to lower the assessed value of the land slated for expropriation, a move that has sparked debate over the financial implications for other housing projects in the region. The Council for the Defense of the State (CDE), representing the Valparaíso Housing and Urbanization Service (Serviu), has filed a claim with the San Antonio First Letter Court to reduce the provisional indemnity set by the Expert Commission, which currently exceeds $10 million for the approximately 110 hectares involved, according to BioBioChile and La Tercera.

Some residents of the megatoma, however, maintain that the occupation began organically following the social unrest of 2019. They claim families initially arrived without coordination, and that the prospect of purchasing large plots of land emerged later, leading to more structured interventions after a public meeting with landowners.

Gustavo Sepúlveda, a resident and member of the Organized Settlers Movement, identified Luis Medel as a key figure in the process. Sepúlveda alleges that Medel, who previously had business dealings with the property owners, encouraged families to settle on the land. “Luis Medel is the person who arranged several lawsuits the property had, and therefore became a partner in the real estate company in those years,” Sepúlveda stated, adding that Medel was present at a meeting where the owner offered to sell large plots to the occupants.

Minister Poduje also questioned the decision to expropriate the occupied land, arguing that the use of public funds for this purpose would reduce the availability of financing for other housing committees in San Antonio currently on waiting lists. The government is attempting to reduce the expropiation cost by $6.760 million, according to BioBioChile.