CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) and United Luisita Workers Union ( ULWU) said yesterday that many of those listed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as beneficiaries of land reform in Hacienda Luisita are not farmworkers, but rather horse stable and house helpers of Pres. Aquino’s relatives.
In a joint statement, the two groups also accused the Cojuangco-Aquino family of allegedly using agents offering P300,000 to P350,000 to potential land reform beneficiaries for them to later sell back their lands.
“Pinapaikot ng pamilyang Cojuangco-Aquino ang kanilang mga alipores upang alukin ng P300,000 hanggang P350,000 ang mga benepisyunaryo kapalit ang lupang ia-award sa kanila,” said the statement written in Pilipino.
Last Oct. 31, the DAR announced that 5,365 Hacienda Luisita farmers made it to the preliminary master list of land reform beneficiaries as part of the implementation of the Supreme Court decision ordering the distribution of the hacienda lands to its farmworkers.
Those in the preliminary list were more certain of being included in the final list of beneficiaries, while the fate of others in the “provisional list” are not as certain.
But Ambala and ULWU said the DAR violated the Supreme Court’s mandate to use their list of 6,296 farmworker beneficiaries prepared by them a few years ago, by instead using a list prepared by the Cojuangco-Aquino clan.
The groups lamented that instead of using their original list prepared in 2004, the DAR merely reduced their role to filing a petition on exclusion and inclusion of beneficiaries within 30 days after completion of the final list to be done by the department.
Ambala and ULWU also maintained that most of those in the preliminary list are not legitimate hacienda farmworkers, citing those who claimed to be residents of Barangay Cutcut who are reportedly merely office employees of the Cojuango-Aquino family. The hacienda covers 10 barangays.
“Those listed from other barangays are also mere caretakers of poultry, horse stable or golf course workers of the Cojuangco-Aquinos,” the statement added.
The statement also noted that those in the preliminary list were included in the names submitted to the DAR by the Cojuangco-Aquino family and were known to have opposed land distribution in favor of stock distribution option (SDO) in the hacienda.
“This means that if the lands are distributed to them, there is the possibility they would work out for the Cojuangco-Aquino clan to again take over the estate,” the statement further said.
The two groups also said that many of those sidelined in the DAR’s provisional list are legitimate farmworkers who are allegedly being given hard time by the DAR through the imposition of more requirements and other technical issues.
“At times, they are told to submit the same documents over and over,” the statement also said.
Ambala vice president Florida Sibayan said “it is clear that the DAR is employing delaying tactics in an effort to dislocate some legitimate beneficiaries” who, she noted, included those who had signed agreements and petitions for land reform in 1989 and 2004.
The statement also said that “most of those active in Ambala and ULWU are in the provisional list despite their being clearly qualified as beneficiaries and complete documents, including their being interviewed twice by DAR from June to September this year.”
