MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights said Tuesday it is investigating the arrest and detention of around 90 farmers, peasant advocates and media workers at a land cultivation activity on agrarian reform program land in Tarlac.
Last week, police arrested farmers and their supporters as well as members of the press covering the ‘bungkalan’ —collective tilling of the land— activity at Hacienda Tinang in Concepcion, Tarlac. They were charged with malicious mischief and illegal assembly.
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In a statement, CHR executive director Jacqueline de Guia said there were also allegations of physical and mental abuse, inhumane conditions at the detention facility, and red-tagging experienced by those arrested and detained. Red-tagging refers to labeling activists and advocates as members of the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People's Army and equating activism with terrorism.
De Guia said that the commission’s Central Luzon office has started gathering information from arrested farmers and their supporters, farmers who filed a complaint over the arrests, and the local police.
CHR investigators from the central office will also be joining the probe "given the extent and complexity of the issue at hand."
"CHR commits to look into every aspect of the allegations of human rights violations linked to the said incident," de Guia said.
"With clashing claims, we hope our independent investigation can contribute in achieving greater clarity of the issue, a just and equitable resolution, as well as greater respect and protection of the rights of all," she added.
DAR to investigate farmers, agrarian reform beneficiaries
The commission also urged the Department of Agrarian Reform to look into the matter. Acting Agrarian Reform Secretary Bernie Cruz has blamed "leftist" groups for the incident and the arrests.
Farmers with group Makisama-Tinang said that a Certificate of Land Ownership Award for the 200-hectare disputed land had already been awarded to 236 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program beneficiaries.
It is not uncommon for ARBs to be denied access to land awarded to them by former landowners due to disputes on coverage and on beneficiaries. Installation, or when ARBs actually take posession of their land, is a separate activity and can face years-long delays.
In a release Monday, Cruz asked the owners of Collective Certificates of Land Ownership Award to wait for the validated report that will show the official lists of qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries.
He also said the department would conduct an "immediate and impartial investigation against the agrarian reform beneficiaries and peasant advocates."
Police claimed the farmers "demolished the sugarcane plantation owned by [an] agricultural cooperative" although it is unclear what kind of damage that land preparation activity caused.
A release order was signed Sunday after the arrested individuals posted bail for their provisional liberty. The arrests led to crowdfunding efforts to raise money for their bail. — Gaea Katreena Cabico with reports from Franco Luna and Kaycee Valmonte