ANGELES CITY – Gunshots pierced the air at the Hacienda Luisita Monday afternoon as a combined team of soldiers, policemen and security guards squared off with some 300 farmers who dismantled the fence and other structures built to prevent them from cultivating lands within the estate in Barangay Balete in Tarlac City.
Felix Nacpil, chairperson of the Alyansa ng Manggagawang Magbubukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala), said in a telephone interview that the gunshots came from the ranks of about 100 security guards who were later augmented by 10 cops from the Tarlac police, and 15 Army soldiers.
Nacpil said the incident was part of “continuing harassment moves” against farmers demanding immediate and free distribution of lands at the hacienda.
No one was reported hurt during the incident. The area being fenced is part of some 180 hectares turned over by the Cojuangco-controlled Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) to the Rizal Commercial and Banking Corp. as payment for a loan.
The area was not covered by the decision of the Supreme Court on Nov. 20 last year ordering land distribution in the hacienda.
“They thought we would be cowed by the gunfire. We had it when we were massacred on November 16, 2004.
But we stayed put and continued to block the fencing, it is a triumphant defense of our rights to land,” said Nacpil.
Nacpil said, “We condemn this latest harassment of the Cojuangco-Aquinos. We all know that this is another desperate act of the Cojuangco-Aquinos to repress our struggle. What else could they do after this?
We could never forget the massacre in 2004 that killed seven of us and more than a hundred wounded. We expect worse than this in the future when Hacienda Luisita would finally be distributed.”
For his part, Joseph Canlas, chairperson of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson, described the incident as “another attempt of the Cojuangco-Aquinos to use government forces under the command of Pres. Aquino” to block full land distribution the hacienda.
AMGL and Ambala said “the Aquino government is using the police and military as their private armed group to protect their (Cojungco-Aquino) stake at Hacienda Luisita and repress t he farmworkers’ struggle for their rights to land.”
“Aquino is lambasting Corona and at the same time neglecting the Supreme Court decision for the 4,915-hectare agricultural lands to be distributed to the farmworker-beneficiaries led by Ambala,” Canlas said.
The two groups said Hacienda Luisita “continues to be heavily militarized as detachments are still set up at ten barangays since 2005. “
“Ambala has been demanding the pull-out of military since then but now Pres. Aquino is employing government forces to threaten farmworkers and repress their struggle for genuine land reform,” Canlas added.
