Farmers are fast losing hope after President Duterte reneged on his promise to return the coco levy fund to small coconut farmers and there have been moves inside the Department of Agrarian Reform to reverse the administrative and department orders, favoring farmers, which were issued by former Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano.
On the average, a hectare of land yields 100 cavans of rice. The 53 hectares of land destroyed could have produced 5,300 cavans of rice per harvest season or 10,600 cavans for one year. A cavan is equivalent to 50 kilos.
Hundreds of farmers and their supporters are facing various criminal charges filed by Tadeco, Tarlac police and the DAR-hired survey firm.
“Police, armed men and other agents of the Cojuangco-Aquino family who are responsible for the destruction of our crops, homes and livelihood run free despite our formal complaints before several government agencies… We farmers, however, who have not committed any wrongdoing were quickly imprisoned.”
Tadeco and CAT, both owned by the Cojuangco-Aquino clan, are claiming ownership over 258 hectares of land in Balete, 374 hectares in Mapalacsiao and 104 hectares in Cutcut.
Monique Wilson, a world class Filipino actress and global diretor for One Billion for Rising Justice campaign, takes up the cudgels for Hacienda Luisita women’s struggle for genuine land reform.
Hacienda Luisita farmers share how their huts were destroyed and how they were evicted from their farm lands last month by the security guards of the Tarlac Development Corporation, a firm owned by the family of President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III.
“The tension in Hacienda Luisita is escalating.”
‘It’s better for DAR to stop lying and prove through actions their claims of implementing the law in Luisita. It should first stop the bulldozers of Cojuangcos in destroying our livelihood and property before they flaunt their fake accomplishments.’
“We call on the DOJ [Department of Justice] to make good their promise of creating a special panel to look into rights violations against farmers in Hacienda Luisita. With the fragile situation in Luisita, this DOJ panel must start its work now.” — Ambala
MANILA – For frustrating land distribution in Hacienda Luisita, farmworker-beneficiaries trooped to the office of Jose Cojuangco & Sons in Makati City, January 20. Travelling all the way from Tarlac, more than a hundred members of Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) held a picket in front of the building, where Cojuangco-Aquino-owned…