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Shots shattered the evening calm as a peasant leader, Marcelino Beltran, went out of his house to greet some “visitors.” The visitors pumped bullets into his body and he died two hours later – the eighth to fall following the Nov. 16 massacre of seven farmers at Hacienda Luisita.
The violence that marred the strike of plantation and milling workers of the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita on Nov. 16 was bound to happen and government authorities may have to account for it.
BULATLAT INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Farm workers of Hacienda Luisita dispute the claim by the Cojuangcos that SDO has been good for their thousands of farm workers. Farm workers say they have been losing their jobs, receiving pitiable pay and may lose their own homes,...
The Versolas continue to support the strike, visiting the picket line to watch documentaries on the massacre, help in the kitchen chores or just exchange views with anyone.
The Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA), the mother federation of Hacienda Luisita based groups United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU) and Alyansa ng Mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) and the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Thursday...
By MARYA SALAMAT
“Despite the media-created belief that positive change for the Filipino peasantry would be possible under the Aquino administration, we are discouraged by Noynoy’s frequent attempts to dissociate himself from the Hacienda Luisita problem and in refusing to admit to the failure of CARP [Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program] despite the dehumanizing plight to which it has consigned the majority of farmers,” a peasant leader said.
The cold blooded murder of Ricardo “Ka Ric” Ramos, president of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union (CATLU) at the strife-ridden Hacienda Luisita and baranggay captain of Bo. Mapalacsiao, was an act of treachery and desperation. By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo...
Bulatlat.comBy Sarah Raymundo Posted by Bulatlat.com "they should have not let his brain spattered on the floor like that; or his eyes dismembered from his face it's the kids, it's too painful for them to have seen him so horribly lifeless or worse, remember him...
Video Documentary: Noynoy's Luisita
In this video commentary, Bulatlat.com destroys the myth of the "untainted" Noynoy Aquino. For decades, the Aquinos and the Cojuangcos have stolen from the farmers and workers of Hacienda Luisita, using every trick in the book, as well as brute force and violence to retain control of thousands of hectares of land that they do not own to begin with.
Even as young lawyers, they have witnessed injustices being committed as they chose to defend the oppressed. And because they persist in handling “controversial” cases, Jobert Pahilga and Noel Neri have earned the ire of some of the country’s most powerful...
Majority of victims of human-rights violations in the Philippines are peasants. They are the ones most denied not just land but justice. So any candidate for president who claims to be for justice should, first and foremost, commit to the implementation of a genuine agrarian-reform program. This is why the Hacienda Luisita land problem is a defining issue for Noynoy Aquino.
Justice Remains Elusive in Luisita
By MARYA SALAMAT
Unlike other post-martial law administrations that used assumption of jurisdictions (AJ) mostly to quell already ongoing strikes, the Arroyo regime has used these orders not only to quell ongoing strikes but also to make sure workers cannot strike at all. As a result, fewer strikes have been recorded, allowing Arroyo to claim that “industrial peace” is improving. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
From the testimony of a worker at the front lines of the Hacienda Luisita picket and the unedited version of a footage taken by an independent media practitioner, police started firing at the strikers during a lull in the fighting. The scenes from the unedited...
When will justice be served for the victims of the violent dispersal of the Hacienda Luisita picket line? Until now, the government agencies that investigated the incident have not yet identified those responsible for the wanton violation of human rights. BY DABET...
Union grieves for murdered Hacienda union chief “Ganun si kapitan. He would risk everything for us. It can only be those who feel threatened by him and the union who would want to kill him.” Thus said a Hacienda Luisita worker of murdered union leader Ricardo...
The public outrage ignited by the Luisita Massacre should also keep an eye on other potential flashpoints that could lead to similar acts of state terrorism. There are several other plantations, large estates as well as development projects and mining exploration...
Summary of relevant information and analysis of what happened on the days leading up to and the day itself of the Hacienda Lusita massacre on November 16, 2004 Prepared by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) from a Fact-Finding Mission it led in Nov. 2004. 1....
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