I am living in one of the places you mentioned but have not heard of the president taking over a site from a local hunter. Things like that spreads fast. Fact is, there were many land-owners who went to Davao asking for the president's help in recovering treasures from their land, offering a substantial share. They were all ignored.
V
It does seem like word that this happened would spread like wild fire. But not if people's lives were threatened. I think everyone involved with something like that would probably keep silent. I've spoken to many Filipinos about him. Not all are truly supporters. Many are just so terrified of speaking out against him that they would never openly express their disapproval. They know he's a murdering gangster and they know he's a very powerful murdering gangster.
As far as the treasure hunters being ignored... During his time in the public eye, he has always attempted to convince people that the story of Yamashita's treasure is nothing more than a "tall tale". He doesn't need to answer the call of every Filipino who is wishfully thinking there is treasure on their land. That would be a massive waste of time and resources for anybody. And if he did so, he would also be confirming that the treasure is actually real and worth pursuing. He doesn't want ANYONE else pursuing the treasure.
As always, this is probably falling on deaf ears. So I'll just let the conversation return to the original topic