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5th year anniversary of Hasyenda Luisita massacre
PRESS RELEASE
November 16, 2009
For Reference: Roy Morilla, KMP information officer (63-907-418- 0098)
5th year anniversary of Hacienda Luisita massacre,
Groups travel to Tarlac to support agri-workers' call for land and justice
About 2,000 members of militant groups such as the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (Uma), Amihan, Pamalakaya-Pilipina s, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Anakpawis Partylist, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and other sectoral groups, aboard more than 100 vehicles, traveled to Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac City to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Hacienda Luisita massacre which killed 7 striking agri-workers. They dubbed it as "Caravan for Land and Justice in Hacienda Luisita."
The groups said that this is also the 5th year of injustice for the victims and they are on all-out support for the agri-workers' call to junk the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) and Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with "Reforms" (CARPer) which they say the root of all their poverty and misery and political and economic gain for the Cojuangco family.
"It is high time to compel the Cojuangco to answer for their 50 years of deception and oppression since acquisition in 1957, to those who actually developed the lands of Hacienda Luisita, the agricultural workers. They have done enough, depriving agri-workers of the fruits of the lands, deceiving them for 15 years with SDO and CARP and killing 7 striking agri-workers on November 16, 2004," said Danilo Ramos, KMP Secretary-General.
The groups said that Jose "Don Pepe" Cojuangco, Sr., father of former president Cory Cojuangco-Aquino and Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, bought majority of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT), including the 6,453-hectare Hacienda Luisita from the Spanish company Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas (Tabacalera) using a loan from the GSIS and a dollar load from Manufacturers' Trust Company of New York and Chase Manhattan Bank, where the Central Bank served as guarantor. Moreover, the GSIS required that the lands would be distributed in 10 years or 1967 to the tenant-farmers as part of the social justice program of the government.
On December 2, 1985, a Manila Regional Trial Court ruled that Hacienda Luisita be distributed to the tenants but the Cojuangcos' heavily opposed and elevated it to the Court of Appeals. By February 25, 1986, Cory Cojuangco-Aquino rose to power and eventually, the government through the Office of the Solicitor General conveyed that the government is no longer interested in possessing Hacienda Luisita.
"The timeline clearly shows that the Cojuangcos have enriched themselves through the blood and sweat of the agri-workers and using violence when the agri-workers were enlightened of the exploitation subjected on them," said Ramos.
"Hacienda Luisita does not belong to the Cojuangcos' and the agri-workers are the legitimate owners as they were acquired using public funds," added Ramos.
The groups traveled along the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex), exiting at Dau and rode along McArthur Highway . They held a short program and mass in front of Luisita Mall and Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) camp. The group would hold a solidarity night, joined by residents of different barangays inside the hacienda. They are to burn a large replica of a Hacienda Luisita, Inc. stock certificate written with "SDO."
Moreover, Lito Bais, Uma spokesperson and acting president of United Luisita Workers' Union (Ulwu) recalled their gruesome experience on November 16, 2004.
"We were all defending our picketline, about 700 elements of the police and 17 truckloads of military in full-battle gear were out to destroy our strike," recalled Bais.
"They used all they can against us, truncheons, tear gas, armed personnel carriers and eventually bullets from their high-powered rifles. They were really shooting at us for about a minute to kill us," said Bais.
"We only have our slingshots, stones, our united actions but it was no match to their deadly bullets," he added.
"After the massacre, 7 of us were killed, 72 were wounded, 27 of them were gunshot wounds and 111 were arrested by the PNP-Tarlac," said Bais.
"The one caught in video, struggling for his life, was Jesus Laza, a registered farm-worker in 1984 to 1990, became a sakada in 1990 onwards, an Ulwu member and a declared stockholder, he makes a living by selling dried fish," said Bais.
KMP and Uma restated their call for land and justice in Hacienda Luisita. Those who actually killed the striking agri-workers should be punished and the Arroyo government should be held accountable. The Cojuangco family should cease and desist in harassing the agri-workers and deploying the military and setting-up camps. Hacienda Luisita lands legitimately belongs to the agri-workers. They also urged that Stock Distribution Options (SDO) should be totally junked together with CARPer.
"We urge Sen. Noynoy to act immediately on the Hacienda Luisita issue. He has the duty to uphold the interest of the Filipino peasants if he really plans to be president or else he should forget about winning," KMP and Uma called.#
November 16, 2009
For Reference: Roy Morilla, KMP information officer (63-907-418- 0098)
5th year anniversary of Hacienda Luisita massacre,
Groups travel to Tarlac to support agri-workers' call for land and justice
About 2,000 members of militant groups such as the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (Uma), Amihan, Pamalakaya-Pilipina s, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Anakpawis Partylist, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and other sectoral groups, aboard more than 100 vehicles, traveled to Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac City to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Hacienda Luisita massacre which killed 7 striking agri-workers. They dubbed it as "Caravan for Land and Justice in Hacienda Luisita."
The groups said that this is also the 5th year of injustice for the victims and they are on all-out support for the agri-workers' call to junk the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) and Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with "Reforms" (CARPer) which they say the root of all their poverty and misery and political and economic gain for the Cojuangco family.
"It is high time to compel the Cojuangco to answer for their 50 years of deception and oppression since acquisition in 1957, to those who actually developed the lands of Hacienda Luisita, the agricultural workers. They have done enough, depriving agri-workers of the fruits of the lands, deceiving them for 15 years with SDO and CARP and killing 7 striking agri-workers on November 16, 2004," said Danilo Ramos, KMP Secretary-General.
The groups said that Jose "Don Pepe" Cojuangco, Sr., father of former president Cory Cojuangco-Aquino and Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, bought majority of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT), including the 6,453-hectare Hacienda Luisita from the Spanish company Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas (Tabacalera) using a loan from the GSIS and a dollar load from Manufacturers' Trust Company of New York and Chase Manhattan Bank, where the Central Bank served as guarantor. Moreover, the GSIS required that the lands would be distributed in 10 years or 1967 to the tenant-farmers as part of the social justice program of the government.
On December 2, 1985, a Manila Regional Trial Court ruled that Hacienda Luisita be distributed to the tenants but the Cojuangcos' heavily opposed and elevated it to the Court of Appeals. By February 25, 1986, Cory Cojuangco-Aquino rose to power and eventually, the government through the Office of the Solicitor General conveyed that the government is no longer interested in possessing Hacienda Luisita.
"The timeline clearly shows that the Cojuangcos have enriched themselves through the blood and sweat of the agri-workers and using violence when the agri-workers were enlightened of the exploitation subjected on them," said Ramos.
"Hacienda Luisita does not belong to the Cojuangcos' and the agri-workers are the legitimate owners as they were acquired using public funds," added Ramos.
The groups traveled along the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex), exiting at Dau and rode along McArthur Highway . They held a short program and mass in front of Luisita Mall and Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) camp. The group would hold a solidarity night, joined by residents of different barangays inside the hacienda. They are to burn a large replica of a Hacienda Luisita, Inc. stock certificate written with "SDO."
Moreover, Lito Bais, Uma spokesperson and acting president of United Luisita Workers' Union (Ulwu) recalled their gruesome experience on November 16, 2004.
"We were all defending our picketline, about 700 elements of the police and 17 truckloads of military in full-battle gear were out to destroy our strike," recalled Bais.
"They used all they can against us, truncheons, tear gas, armed personnel carriers and eventually bullets from their high-powered rifles. They were really shooting at us for about a minute to kill us," said Bais.
"We only have our slingshots, stones, our united actions but it was no match to their deadly bullets," he added.
"After the massacre, 7 of us were killed, 72 were wounded, 27 of them were gunshot wounds and 111 were arrested by the PNP-Tarlac," said Bais.
"The one caught in video, struggling for his life, was Jesus Laza, a registered farm-worker in 1984 to 1990, became a sakada in 1990 onwards, an Ulwu member and a declared stockholder, he makes a living by selling dried fish," said Bais.
KMP and Uma restated their call for land and justice in Hacienda Luisita. Those who actually killed the striking agri-workers should be punished and the Arroyo government should be held accountable. The Cojuangco family should cease and desist in harassing the agri-workers and deploying the military and setting-up camps. Hacienda Luisita lands legitimately belongs to the agri-workers. They also urged that Stock Distribution Options (SDO) should be totally junked together with CARPer.
"We urge Sen. Noynoy to act immediately on the Hacienda Luisita issue. He has the duty to uphold the interest of the Filipino peasants if he really plans to be president or else he should forget about winning," KMP and Uma called.#
Philippinessenoj, 2010-03-13 06:09, Hit : 363
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