By Gerry Albert Corpuz, Gloria Madonna Velarde and Trinity Biglang Awa
MANILA, Philippines- A farm worker leader in Hacienda Luisita will attend the 4th International Assembly of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) to be held in Manila from July 7-9 to seek the support of over 300 people’s organizations and social movements from 40 countries all over the world against the latest decision of the Supreme Court calling the Department of Agrarian Reform to conduct a referendum on the controversial 6,453 hectare sugar estate embroiled in agrarian dispute for nearly six decades.
In a joint press statement, ILPS –International Coordinating Committee (ICC) member Danilo Ramos from the Philippines and Nepali peasant activist Balaram Banskota of All Nepal Peasant Federation (ANFA) agreed to endorse the resolution to be submitted by Hacienda Luisita farm worker leader Rodel Mesa, secretary general of Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) during the plenary of the international conference.
Ramos and Banskota said activists from the United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Hong Kong,Japan, Argentina, Kenya, Senegal, West Africa, South Africa, Senegal, Kenya, Cameroon, Burundi, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Cambodia, Venezuela, Italy, Swtizerland, New Zealand, and the Philippines have criticized the decision of the Supreme Court instructing the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to conduct a referendum on the hotly disputed agrarian case since 1957.
Banskota described the high court ruling as inimical and deceitful to farm worker beneficiaries.
The high tribunal voting 6-4 revoked the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) but called for a referendum to ask Luisita farmworkers whether they want to have their own land or shares of stocks in the hacienda owned by the family of Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III
“The Philippine Supreme Court decision on Hacienda Luisita negates the collective interest of Filipino farmers for genuine land reform and social justice. We believe the cutting edge of land reform is free land distribution not stock distribution. We hope the high court in your country will reconsider its decision when the lawyers of the farmers submit their motion for reconsideration,” the Nepali peasant leader said.
Banskota, also an official of the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) and the All Nepal Peasant Federation (ANPA) also urged President Aquino and his family to give up Hacienda Luisita and allow its free distribution to farm workers.
“National interest dictates President Aquino and the Cojuangco family to give up their questionable ownership of the 6,453-hectare sugar estate. If this is the case, then Aquino and the Cojuangco clan have no options but to cede control of Luisita to farm worker beneficiaries, “he said.
ILPS’ Ramos said the Hacienda Luisita resolution will also ask foreign activists attending the international gathering to support the call of farm workers to boycott the referendum to be facilitated by DAR and insist free land distribution the 6, 453 hectare sugar estate to farm worker beneficiaries.
“The decision of the Supreme Court affirms the immoral and illegal control of the President and his family over Hacienda Luisita. It is correct to say, the decision is a political concession to the President and to all the landed clique in the country. The message is clear -- the big landlords can always rely on reactionary court at the expense of peasant land rights and social justice,” he said.
The ILPS officer said Hacienda Luisita farm workers will file a motion for reconsideration within the next few days upon receipt of the SC decision. For the meantime, Ramos said ILPS members in the Philippines will help explain to the extreme bankruptcy, the pro-Cojuangco and anti-farmer decision of the high court to the general public.
Abandonment
The regional farmers’ group Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson (Amgl, Peasant Alliance in Central Luzon) and Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala, Farmworkers’ Alliance in Hacienda Luisita) claimed that president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s “hands off” attitude is actually the abandonment of the plight of the farmers in Hacienda Luisita and the endorsement of his family’s continuing feudal control of the lands.
“It is apparent that Aquino’s mental capacity is incapable of thinking that he should be helping the poor farmers in our country, especially in Hacienda Luisita where his family is directly involved. His mere non-intervention or ‘leave it alone’ attitude is the advancement of his feudal exploitation on the hacienda farmers,” said Joseph Canlas, Amgl chairperson in a press statement.
“We have been cultivating the lands since we could remember and now the Supreme Court decided another referendum that is no different to the Stock Distribution Option referendum in 1989, the high court is carrying out a vicious cycle that keeps the interest of the Cojuangco-Aquinos over us farmworkers,” said Felix Nacpil, chair of Ambala. “Everybody knows that the Cojuangco-Aquinos, being a clan of traditional politicians, a ruling clique has mastered the art of deception and coercion during referendum or plebiscite, luring the poor with alms to vote for their favor or using the military and armed goons to terrorize those who oppose them,” Canlas said.
Amgl and Ambala are also raising the issue that Aquino is actually neglecting his duty as president by doing nothing on the issue as Resolution 2005-32-01 of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) which he chairs is still on the record. The resolution specifically revoked the SDO scheme in Hacienda Luisita. “Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda sounded like a broken record uttering Aquino is no longer a shareholder of Hacienda Luisita when the people is invoking him being a president, not being a shareholder, who should be upholding the interest of the poor majority and not of his family,” Canlas said.
“We are not stupid to believe that Aquino has no influence on his family, had nothing to do nor could do nothing with the issue,” he added. The groups said that Aquino is on a milestone of triggering an event chain of further plunging his trust ratings. His abandonment of the farmers is visible and clear to the public eye and he unilaterally confirms it. “Aquino is abandoning the farmers of Hacienda Luisita and it is an abandonment of the Filipino farmers as he and his family are working against realizing genuine land reform in our country, making his promise of ‘reforms’ or ‘matuwid na daan’ all rubbish,” Canlas said.
Defeaning silence
The militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) today assailed President Aquino’s “deafening silence” over the Supreme Court decision directing the Department of Agrarian Reform to conduct another referendum in Hacienda Luisita saying “the president tolerates the continuing injustice against farm workers.”
“President Aquino’s deafening silence clearly shows that he tolerates his family’s illegal and immoral control of Hacienda Luisita and the continuing social injustice and denial of farm workers’ just and legitimate rights to the land,” says Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas spokesperson Antonio Flores.
“The President is a Cojuangco-Aquino,” Flores said adding: “It is absolutely incredible that the President will not take the side of his family on the Hacienda Luisita dispute.”
“Aquino’s ‘no comment’ strategy illustrates ineptitude and weak leadership and lack of political will,” Flores said.
The KMP issued the statement after Edwin Lacierda, one of Aquino’s multiple mouthpieces, declined to comment on the SC decision saying, “we could not make any comment on that issue now… As of now, we’d like to leave the SC decision as it is.”
The KMP maintained that “the SC-ordered referendum is the same monstrous scheme used in the 1989 referendum on the stock distribution option and the August 2010 referendum on the compromise agreement to perpetuate the Cojuangco-Aquinos stranglehold over the vast sugar estate.”
The KMP also dared the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) to break its silence and side with the farmers.
“We are deeply concerned over the DAR’s silence. Are they waiting for the President’s instructions?” the KMP asked adding: “We challenge them to defy the SC’s pro-Cojuangco ruling.”
“The SC decision is a concrete example of how big landlords utilized the bogus CARP and CARPER to evade land distribution,” says Flores referring to the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Extension with Reforms law. #
