ANGELES CITY – Noting that Pres. Aquino is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines whose family has “vested interest” in Hacienda Luisita, three groups of farmers in the vast estate in Tarlac started yesterday a signature drive seeking the ouster of the military in their midst.
In their petition now being passed on for signatures, the Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) the Luisita Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (Uma) and the Luisita Peasants and People’s Alliance (LUPPA) demanded the “immediate pull-out of the military in Hacienda Luisita.”
They also appointed among themselves members of a fact-finding group to gather data about human rights abuses committed by the military against their ranks in the hacienda which, in a decision on Nov. 22 last year, the Supreme Court ordered to be distributed to the farmworkers.
The three farmers’ groups said they were being supported by the Alyansa ng Magbubukid ng Gitnang Luson (AMGL), the human rights group Karapatan, students from universities in Metro Manila, and religious groups.
The farmers’ petition noted that soldiers have remained in several barangays within Hacienda Luisita, using mostly barangay halls as their base.
The “militarized” barangays were identified as Balete, Mapalacsiao, Lourdes, Cutcut, Asturias within Tarlac City; Barangays Motrico and Bantog, Bayan in La Paz and Barangays Mabilog, Pando, Parang in Concepcion, all in Tarlac province.
“We are demanding the pull-out of the military as they threaten us farmworkers who are asserting our rights to land. Also, they have no business in Hacienda Luisita, as everybody knows that this is an agrarian issue already decided upon by the Supreme Court,” said Ambala chairperson Felix Nacpil, Jr said.
While the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision last Nov. 22, favored the distribution of hacienda lands that used to be controlled by Pres. Aquino’s family, the Cojuangco-controlled Hacieda Luisita Inc. (HLI) has pending petitions for reconsideration of the verdict.
The petition said that “we are the legitimate owners of 4,915-hectares in Hacienda Luisita which the Cojuangco-Aquinos are trying to keep their control of.
Though the Supreme Court has decided 14-0 in favor of the farmworkers on November 22, 2011, the Cojuangco-Aquinos continue to employ schemes, threatening them with violence and deceiving farmworkers just to keep their control over the hacienda.”
The petition recalled that former Pres. Corazon Aquino “thwarted the distribution of the hacienda by enacting the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law or Republic Act 6657, provisioning the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) that was implemented by the Cojuangco-Aquinos.”
“SDO caused poverty and misery to the farmworkers that became the very basis of their strike that resulted in the Hacienda Luisita Massacre on November 16, 2004, killing seven farmworkers,” the petition said.
“The AFP is directly under (Pres. Benigno) Aquino who is golden boy of the Cojuangco-Aquino family. It is immoral and unjust that government resources and machinery are being used for their private and selfish interest,” said AMGL chairperson Joseph Canlas.
Canlas recalled that the massive militarization of the hacienda even during the Arroyo administration, had already claimed the lives of several persons, including Marcelino Beltran, chairperson of Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Tarlak (AMT) and vice-chairperson of AMGL, Tarlac City councilor Abel Ladera; Philippine Independent Church Bishop Alberto Ramento and priest William Tadeña, ULWU leader Tirso Cruz, Bayan Muna leader Victor Concepcion.
