‘Cojuangcos firming up hold on Luisita property’

ANGELES CITY, Philippines – Farmers claimed yesterday that relatives of outgoing President Aquino are strengthening their hold on portions of Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac City pending the assumption into office of the new agrarian reform secretary.

The Alyansang Manggagawang Bukid ng Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) reported that policemen in a patrol car arrived the other day in Barangay Balete to prevent farmers from preparing the land for the planting season.

The policemen allegedly prevented farmers from going to the portion of the hacienda still being claimed by the Cojuangco-controlled Tarlac Development Corp. (Tadeco), Ambala said.

Ambala said the harassment of farmers started after president-elect Rodrigo Duterte announced that Rafael Mariano, chair of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), would be the next secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

The group cited the case of farmer Charlito Catalan whose house in Barangay Mapalacsiao was demolished last May 30 by persons identified with Tadeco.

“We condemn this latest atrocity by the Cojuangco-Aquino family against the poor farmers of Hacienda Luisita,” it said.

Anakpawis party-list Rep. Fernando Hicap said in a statement that they support the farmers led by Ambala in their plan ato take back the lands taken by Tadeco.

In 2012, the Supreme Court ordered the distribution of Hacienda Luisita to farm workers after it earlier declared illegal the stock distribution option already implemented in the hacienda during the term of former president Corazon Aquino.

The DAR implemented the order of the SC through the controversial raffle system.?But Ambala noted that from an original land area of 6,453 hectares, the Cojuangcos only declared 4,915 hectares to be agricultural land in 1989. ?“Of these, 500 hectares were approved for conversion into non-agricultural uses, thus making them exempt from agrarian reform. Another 80.5 hectares was subtracted to make way for the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX),” it said.

Hicap recalled that the SC’s final 2012 ruling ordered only 4,335 hectares for distribution. But this number was again reduced when a survey conducted by FF Cruz Co., a company hired by the DAR, in early April further exempted more than 200 hectares of land from agrarian reform.

Ambala estimated that a total of 1,063.47 hectares of hacienda lands were illegally converted into non-agricultural uses. Some of these parcels of land are now titled to Luisita Realty Corp., Luisita Golf and Country Club and Las Haciendas Subdivision, the group added.

Anakpawis quoted Mariano as saying that he would ensure that no farmers will be displaced from their farmland by strengthening their security of tenure over the land.

“We will immediately review the sham tambiolo land reform implemented by the DAR in Hacienda Luisita. This review will also include the pending petition by farmers for the revocation of the land-use conversion issued by the DAR in favor of the Cojuangcos of Hacienda Luisita,” Mariano said.

Mariano said yesterday he would review the distribution of Hacienda Luisita to the tenants and tillers.

“Hacienda Luisita should have been distributed because the government has already paid the Cojuangcos,” he told the Usaping Balita forum at the Serye Café in Quezon City.

He said he has information that the former owners are still holding on to portions of their estate.

He said he would also review the so-called corporative arrangement entered into by billionaire businessman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. with his tenants in his sugar plantation in Negros Occidental and similar agreements by landowners.

“I want to know the status of the tenants, whether they are happy with such arrangements,” he said.

Former Negros Oriental representative Jacinto Paras, another guest at the forum, said there are sugar plantations in his province and in Negros Occidental that are still owned by hacienderos.

“They have not been covered by land reform because the owners are influential,” he said.

Mariano said one of the things he would do immediately upon taking over the DAR is to make an inventory of lands distributed since the Marcos regime and to trace the beneficiaries.

“Is the land still with them? Have they sold it? How are they doing?” he asked.

He said lands that have been illegally converted into subdivisions and other uses and those whose conversion have been allowed but have not been developed should revert to the coverage of agrarian reform and distributed to their tenants and tillers. – With Jess Diaz