Eriberto Pena, chair of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid in SJDM, addressed the dare to Local Governments Sec. Mar Roxas and Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos who, he noted, are both related to Gregorio “Greggy” Araneta III. Greggy is the husband of Marcos’ younger sister Irene, while Roxas’ mother belongs to the Araneta clan.
Both Marcos and Roxas are among those considered as presidentiables in the 2016 elections.
“Farmers already brought their demand to dismantle Araneta’s private army to Roxas’ attention in a dialogue with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) office in June and October last year but nothing has happened,” he said.
“Their inaction and silence on the human rights abuses in San Jose Del Monte is tantamount to approval of their common relative’s land-grabbing,” said Peña in a statement.
Peña said that “in spite of an ongoing agrarian dispute, farmers are receiving notices of eviction from Araneta Properties whose private army has been harassing and barring farmers from planting and harvesting their produce.”
He reported that “more than 200 security guards are manning the contested land and serve as private army of the Aranetas.”
Pena also noted the presence of soldiers from the 48th Infantry Battalion and the local police in the contested lands. “Their mere presence is already significantly intimidating,” he added.
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Secretary General Antonio Flores said that “the escalating land-grabbing and abuses against farmers in San Jose Del Monte is directly linked to President Aquino’s push for the Metro Rail Transit-7 Project that will mainly benefit a relative.”
“The Araneta Estate dispute shows that the sham Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) was used by big landlords to circumvent land distribution.
After 27 years of the bogus CARP, just like the Cojuangco-Aquinos, the Aranetas still control more than 3,000 hectares of agricultural lands,” Flores noted.
