The fight for social justice of the Hacienda Luisita farmerworkers beneficiaries (FWB) is far from over.
In the news, Kilusang
Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and 200 farmers held a vigil at the Mendiola
Bridge near Malacañang last Thursday to express their fear that the “verification
process being carried out by the DAR was an attempt by the Cojuangco owners to
evade the distribution of their 4,300-hectare sugarcane estate under the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).” They “demanded that the
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) release the original list of
farmer-beneficiaries of the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.”
The farmworkers also “alleged that the DAR’s ‘questionable
verification process’ was part of the Cojuangcos’ scheme to bloat the number of
beneficiaries, slash the size of the land for distribution, sow confusion among
the farmers, and put their dummies on the list.”
In response, Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes assured the farmworkers that no dummies will be included in the list and promised full transparency in the verification and distribution processes. He said that “the proceedings in the identification, screening and validation of potential beneficiaries… could be the most contentious since potential beneficiaries could be stricken off” but the farmworkers can question any inclusion or exclusion of any name in the list.
In response, Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes assured the farmworkers that no dummies will be included in the list and promised full transparency in the verification and distribution processes. He said that “the proceedings in the identification, screening and validation of potential beneficiaries… could be the most contentious since potential beneficiaries could be stricken off” but the farmworkers can question any inclusion or exclusion of any name in the list.
The Struggle for Justice.
The President must heed the cry for justice.
Justice Cecila Munoz-Palma said, social justice is the heart of the Constitution. President BS Aquino, whose primary duty is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, must see to it that the HLI farmers will get the land, to serve social justice. Since DAR is under the Executive, he must see to it that any "magic trick" thru DAR's scheming "verification process" in favor to his wealthy and powerful family, the Conjuangco-Aquino clan, must be exposed and outrightly discarded. BS Aquino must do something to expedite land distribution in order to alleviate the suffering of the farmers in the struggle to get the land due to them. The poor farmers have suffered a lot for decades, while his clan greedily milked the land, the President of this Repubic must heed the call of the poor for justice.
Justice Cecila Munoz-Palma said, social justice is the heart of the Constitution. President BS Aquino, whose primary duty is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, must see to it that the HLI farmers will get the land, to serve social justice. Since DAR is under the Executive, he must see to it that any "magic trick" thru DAR's scheming "verification process" in favor to his wealthy and powerful family, the Conjuangco-Aquino clan, must be exposed and outrightly discarded. BS Aquino must do something to expedite land distribution in order to alleviate the suffering of the farmers in the struggle to get the land due to them. The poor farmers have suffered a lot for decades, while his clan greedily milked the land, the President of this Repubic must heed the call of the poor for justice.
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Photo 1: from Inquirer
Photo 2: from Bulatlat
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