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HACIENDA LUISITA UNDER AQUINO Puro Panloloko, Pandarahas at
Pangangamkam (full of deception, violence and landgrabbing) this is
how Hacienda Luisita farmworkers under the Alyansa ng mga
Manggagawang-Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA), the local affiliate
of the national agriworkers federation Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa
Agrikultura (UMA) characterize the State of Hacienda Luisita under
President BS Aquino. The presidents Cojuangco-Aquino clan still
controls the 6,453 hectare sugar estate. Like his mother Corazon
Cojuangco Aquino, President BS Aquino promised social justice
and land reform in Hacienda Luisita as part of his electoral
campaign. But Aquinos actions speak differently. The Luisita Watch
network was formed in 2014 to document governments sham land
distribution and the worsening human rights situation in Hacienda
Luisita. Will these be mentioned in Aquinos last State of the
Nation Address on July 27? THE LANDMARK SUPREME COURT DECISION
After years of struggle, Hacienda Luisita farmers were favoured
finally by the Supreme Court with its November 2011 landmark
decision for total land distribution and revocation of the Stock
Distribution Option (SDO) scheme, which was subsequently affirmed
in a final and executory ruling on April 24, 2012.
This hard-earned victory of the farmers was met with active
opposition and maneuvering from the Aquino-Cojuangco camp led by
President Aquino himself. Only a few months into his presidency, in
2010, during the Supreme Courts oral arguments, the
Aquino-Cojuangcos pushed for a compromise deal, to make it appear
that farmers still wanted the oppressive SDO scheme in place.
Aquino only gave a token statement that he was divesting his shares
in the estate, and did nothing to stop his relatives from coercing
and deceiving the farmers.
President BS Aquinos hyped anti-corruption crusade to have
former Chief Justice Renato Corona impeached and convicted is now
widely seen as Aquinos first step to retain control of Hacienda
Luisita. Corona was the principal proponent of the 2012 SC decision
to distribute Hacienda Luisita. Aquino boasts of the Corona
conviction as a major accomplishment of his Daang Matuwid, but the
trial later appeared as an ugly act of reprisal involving millions
of taxpayers money coursed through the illegal Disbursement
Acceleration Program (DAP) purportedly used by Aquino to bribe
Senator judges for an assured guilty verdict. SHAM LAND REFORM The
implementation of the landmark Supreme Court decision is marred
with much violence, anomaly and controversy. AMBALA and UMA claim
that land distribution in Hacienda Luisita is a sham for the
following reasons:
Lot allocation through lottery drum (tambiolo) complemented
reconcentration of land back to the landlords. Physical land
distribution superseded by the illicit and rampant lease and
purchase deals led by Aquino-Cojuangco dummies and other land
speculators through disinformation, deception and coercion. Ex-LTO
Chief Virginia Torres, a close Aquino ally, is one of the major
aryendadors with hundreds of hectares of land from supposed
beneficiaries.
The exclusion of a number of bona fide farm workers in the final
master list of beneficiaries, and the underhanded insertion of
names of unqualified ones.
The imposition of compulsory signing of promissory notes
(Application to Purchase and Farmers Undertaking) to ensure
amortization payments. Luisita farmers are clamoring for free land
distribution, a just demand given the history of the estate.
The grant of overpriced landlord compensation to Hacienda
Luisita Inc. (HLI)/Cojuangco-Aquinos -- P471.5 million, reported to
be also coursed through the DAP.
The inept facilitation of the audit of P1.33 billion in assets
that HLI and Centenary Holdings acquired from the sale of
agricultural land and the inaction on farm workers appeal for the
revocation of a conversion order covering 500 hectares. A solar
power public-private partnership (PPP) project is now in place
between the Department of Energy and PetroGreen, a firm also owned
by the Yuchengcos of RCBC, HLIs successor-in-interest in the
disputed 500-hectare property.
The deceit and coercion of beneficiaries through false
statements and excessive use of armed state forces during the
so-called distribution process.
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The exclusion of hundreds of hectares of agricultural land from
distribution, thus causing confusion and dispute among
beneficiaries, and dislocation, too. The exclusion of other lands
for distribution, such as what Tarlac Development Corp. (Tadeco),
Luisita Realty Corporation (LRC), Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT)
and many other corporate avatars of the Cojuangco-Aquinos is
grabbing at present even though the DAR, under its mandate, should
subject other agricultural lands in the area to agrarian
reform.
The purported sale of the sugar mill, Central Azucarera de
Tarlac to businessman Martin Lorenzo in 2014 is seen as a push to
further evade land distribution and scrutiny of the
Aquino-Cojuangcos sullied assets. The Aquino-Cojuangcos, through
Don Pedro Cojuangcos son, Fernando, remain major stockholders of
CAT and a new holding company, the CAT Resource and Assets
Holdings, Inc (CRAHI). After widespread retrenchment of workers in
the sugar mill under new management, Luisita residents fear that
land use conversion and the unhampered entry of development
projects will lead to dislocation of the farming community.
10 YEARS, NO JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF THE HACIENDA LUISITA
MASSACRE The Hacienda Luisita massacre case filed before the Office
of the Ombudsman, by more than 50 survivors and relatives in
January 2005, was murdered twice under Aquino. President BS Aquino,
a congressman and active administrator of the estate during the
November 2004 massacre, is one of the respondents in the case.
Aquino and other civilian respondents were immediately cleared of
charges in July 2005.
The case against police and military respondents, however, was
silently junked by the Ombudsman only a few months into Aquinos
presidency. The Ombudsmans Military and Law Enforcement Offices
(MOLEO) dismissed all charges against police and military
respondents in December 2010, based solely on NBI reports and
without any other effort to conduct a more thorough investigation.
Copies of the resolutions did not reach most of the complainants
and their lawyers. On August 4, 2014, survivors and relatives of
the victims filed a motion to reopen the case. The motion was
junked only a few months later in October 2014. A copy of the
controversial NBI report, which explicitly states that there is
cause to file charges against armed state officers on the scene,
was only made public after the Ombudsman junked the appeal to
reopen the case.
Instead of prosecution, military officials involved in the
Hacienda Luisita massacre were given juicy promotions by BS Aquino.
Recently retired AFP Chief, Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang, was one of
the ground commanders during the violent dispersal, along with Gen.
Ricardo Visaya who now holds the reins in the AFP Southern Luzon
Command. IMPUNITY IN HACIENDA LUISITA Rights violations in Hacienda
Luisita peaked during the sham land distribution process from 2013
to 2014. Farmers filed hundreds of counter-charges before the DOJ
against the Aquino-Cojuangcos and their minions in January, March
and October 2014 but the DOJ has yet to act on any of the
complaints until now. Recent human rights violations in Hacienda
Luisita were presented by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas
(KMP) during the recently concluded International Peoples Tribunal
(IPT) held in Washington DC from July 16-19. President BS Aquino
was found GUILTY of gross and systematic violations of human
rights.
Violations (2010-2015) # Incident # Victims Details
Extra-judicial killing (EJK) 1 1 Dennis dela Cruz, AMBALA,
killed October 31, 2013
Frustrated EJK 3 6 March 2012 (RCBC), 2 incidents in March 2014
(Brgy. Cutcut)
Torture / Mauling 9 30+
Illegal Arrest and Detention 9 28
Trumped-up Charges 22 189
Destruction of Crops/Property Bulldozing of crops / destruction
of huts / looting of produce, farm tools & animals 2013 October
- December Bgy Balete (260 hectares) 2014 - Jan; Feb 8; Mar 27;
June 25; August 5 Bgys. Balete,Cutcut, Mapalacsiao, Asturias
Burning of huts Feb 8, 2014 (BS Aquinos birthday) Bgy. Balete
Theft/ Violation of of Domicile
Arson
Threat, Harassment, Intimidation too many AMBALA leaders,
members, whole communities (10 barangays) before 2012 SC decision
& during militarized land distribution activities in 2013
The state of farmworkers in Hacienda Luisita reflects the
situation of the Philippine peasantry under Aquino. Landlessness
and impunity is the reason why organized farmers reject another
extension of the flawed Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
(CARP) and call for the passage of the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill
(GARB or House Bill 252). Despite the odds, farmers in Hacienda
Luisita strive to pursue their land cultivation campaign bungkalan.
For the farmers, Hacienda Luisita alone is one glaring and
compelling argument for President Aquinos ouster.
