3 rich clans oppose “Ka Paeng” at DAR

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    CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) accused yesterday the Cojuangco, Aquino, and Lorenzo clans of being behind moves to oppose Rafael Mariano’s confi rmation as secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

    “This is not surprising,” said UMA secretary general John Milton Lozada in a statement yesterday.

    He noted that “the Cojuangcos, Aquinos, and Lorenzos are hacienderos and plantation owners so they are against any genuine agrarian reform which Ka Paeng (Mariano) advocates.”

    “The Lorenzos who own Lapanday Foods Corp. (LFC) in Mindanao are the majority owners now of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT). They also own two subsidiaries of CAT, namely Luisita Land Corp. (LLC) and Agrikulto Inc.,” he said.

    Lozada said the three families have in their payroll some farmers in Hacienda Luisita to advance their interests.

    “All of them like their landlord-oligarch patrons are against the decisions of Sec. Mariano to junk Tarlac Development Corporation’s (Tadeco) appeal to exempt 358 hectares from land reform and the revocation of the conversion order of Luisita Realty Corp. (now LLC), Luisita Park Inc. (LIPCO) and RCBC for failure to develop the lands covered by the conversion order within fi ve years from the date of the said order,” he said.

    Lozada cited the case of barangay officials of Sta.Catalina who “were involved in the violent ejection of farmers who had been tilling 104 hectares of lands since 2005 and is part of the Tadeco lands which Ka Paeng recently ruled in favor of the peasants.”

    He also cited the case of a barangay chairman who allegedly received P3.5 million in DAP funds from former Pres. Benigno Aquino III for a small multi-purpose hall in Barangay Central, Hacienda Luisita.

    “He is also one of the stockowners of CAT like the others and are all alleged brokers of the aryendo or leasehold system to dummy fi nanciers of the Cojuangcos-Aquinos-Lorenzos,” he also said.

    Lozada alao claimed that Agrikulto Inc. has been into sugarcane farming on leased agricultural lands “to ensure and increase the cane supply to be milled by the parent company CAT.”

    “Agrikulto Inc. is the principal employer together with CAT of the almost 900 sacadas from Mindanao who were trafficked to work in Hacienda Luisita and in other sugar cane areas in Central and even Northern Luzon,” he noted.

    Lozada said “it would be wise then for the Commission on Appointments (COA) to take notice of these facts in their decision whether to confi rm Ka Paeng as DAR Secretary on August 30 or not.”

    “The rejection of Ka Paeng as DAR secretary would only show that the present Duterte government is no different with hacienderos and oligarchs like the Cojuangcos-Aquinos-Lorenzos of Hacienda Luisita and Lapanday Foods Corp.,” he added.

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