ANGELES CITY- Outsiders have reportedly occupied areas within a 358-hectare land being claimed by the Cojuangco clan-controlled Tarlac Development Corp. (Tadeco) within Hacienda Luisita, amid appeals of farm workers to include the area under the government’s land reform program.
This, even as 11 barangay chiefs and other beneficiaries of land reform in the hacienda in Tarlac signed recently a manifesto to promote resolution of the “decades-old property dispute” in the estate used to be all owned by the family of ex-President Benigno Aquino.
Barangay Mapalaciao chair Rael Gatus told local media that “a small group of non-hacienda residents have occupied areas of the 358-hectares of Tadeco, and the area is yet to be covered by land reform.”
Gatus said “the unwanted people started to invade areas of the disputed property after Agrarian Reform Sec. Rafael Mariano announced that he would distribute the property to still landless farmers.”
“How can they be beneficiaries of the land when they are not legitimate farmers of Hacienda Luisita?” Gatus asked.
He said “these people have been harassing legitimate residents to portray that Hacienda Luisita has no peace and order. But we want a peaceful resolution to this problem.”
Gatus noted he and his group have sent last March a letter seeking Mariano’s assistance on the occupation of the lands by strangers, but that Mariano has yet to act on their appeal.
He could not immediately say how many people have occupied the area and how much of the area were taken over.
Despite the development, Gatus said chairpersons of 11 barangays within Hacienda Luisita, other land reform beneficiaries and other sectors residing in the hacienda participated yesterday in the peace caravan with the theme “Peace, Prosperity, and Livelihood”.
He said this is to “show unity and to condemn the series of harassments” reported in the hacienda over the years, even after the Supreme Court came out with its decision in 2012 mandating land distribution in the hacienda.
“There have been many positive changes in the hacienda and majority of the people here just want to live in a peaceful community and work towards a better life,” he added.
