Doña Ramona, displaced after 140 years in her Aguadilla home, gets permit for donated modular house

Ramona Cruz Sanabria is 78 years old and, until five months ago, lived in the same house where she was born, raised her children, and watched her grandchildren grow up in the Playuela neighborhood of Aguadilla. Her family had been on that land for roughly 140 years. But a legal dispute that began in 1993 — when the company Playa India claimed ownership of the parcel — ended up forcing her out of her home ¹.

This Saturday, August 9, the Department of Housing issued the construction permit that will allow her to build a prefabricated modular home donated by the company My EcoHome PR on a lot in the same Ramos Soto sector of Playuela ¹. "The little house is there. I'm happy with my little house," Doña Ramona said upon learning the news ¹.

The long road

The legal battle spans more than three decades. In 1993, Playa India filed a lawsuit claiming ownership of the land where the Cruz Sanabria family had lived since approximately 1880 ¹. In 2004, the Department of Housing expropriated part of the land to facilitate the family's relocation ¹.

It was not until 2023 that the government formally committed to supporting the family ². In January 2026, the land survey was completed, and on February 20, 2026, then-Housing Secretary Ciary Perez Peña formalized a usufruct contract for lots 1 and 1A in the names of Doña Ramona, her husband Jacobo Perez, and her siblings Margot and Geno Cruz Sanabria ². The plan calls for two residential units: one for Ramona and Jacobo, another for her siblings ².

But months passed and the construction permit did not arrive. In June 2026, EL VOCERO reported on the bureaucratic obstacles stalling the project ¹. Now, with the permit in hand, Housing Secretary Luis Martínez Román confirmed that the next step is paying construction fees to the Municipality of Aguadilla so work can proceed ¹.

Mayor Julio Roldán Concepción has offered additional assistance: a Section 8 voucher, housekeeping services, and home food delivery programs ¹².

What this means for you

Doña Ramona's case illustrates a problem affecting thousands of families in Puerto Rico: the lack of clear titles to land that has been occupied for generations. When there is no formal deed, any legal claim can become an eviction, regardless of how many years you have been there.

The mechanism the Department of Housing used — a usufruct contract with a promise of a deed once construction is completed and water and electricity services are connected — is a tool that exists but few families know about ². If you find yourself in a similar situation, this case shows that legal pathways exist, even if they are slow.

The donation by My EcoHome PR also marks an interesting model: a private company providing the structure while the government facilitates the land and permits. It is the kind of public-private partnership that could be replicated in communities where traditional construction is too expensive.

How to do it / Checklist

• If your family has been on untitled land for decades, contact the Department of Housing at (787) 274-2527 for guidance on titling and usufruct programs ².
• Visit your municipality to verify whether there are pending claims on your parcel before investing in improvements.
• Ask the Permits Office (OGPe) about requirements for modular or prefabricated homes — permits differ from conventional construction.
• If you face eviction due to a land dispute, seek free legal assistance from Servicios Legales de Puerto Rico at 1-800-981-5342.
• Document your possession: utility receipts, old photos, and neighbor testimonies serve as evidence of continuous occupation.

What comes next

The Cruz Sanabria family could move into their new home as soon as next week, once the municipal construction fees are paid ¹. The Department of Housing has indicated that, once construction is completed and water and electricity services are connected, it will proceed to grant property deeds to the family ².

The case has become a symbol of land disputes that remain unresolved in Puerto Rico's coastal areas, where developers have historically claimed parcels occupied by communities for generations. For Doña Ramona, who says she feels "destroyed, with pain in my heart" after months away from her ancestral home, Saturday's permit represents the first concrete step toward stability ¹.

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Sources ¹ EL VOCERO, "Doña Ramona receives required permit to advance her new home," August 10, 2026. ² Department of Housing, "Housing Secretary formalizes usufruct contract with Ramona Cruz and her siblings," February 24, 2026.