JUST like his deceased mother and former President Corazon Aquino, incumbent President Benigno Aquino is also implementing a “deceitful” land reform program, Anakpawis party-list Rep. Fernando Hicap said Wednesday.
Hicap offered as proof the announcement of the Department of Agrarian Reform that it plans to raffle off an additional 358 hectares in Hacienda Luisita so that the Aquino family can get more money for land that is supposed to be distributed to tenant farmers for free.
Hicap recalled that on Jan. 16, 1986, then President Corazon promised that “land-to-the-tiller must become a reality instead of an empty slogan” and answered affirmative if it would be applied in Hacienda Luisita.
But a year later on Jan. 22, 1987, tens of thousands of farmers were already protesting at the terms of the land reform program and protesters were even violently dispersed, leading to the infamous “Mendiola Massacre.”
On Feb. 9, 2010, Hicap said Corazon’s son Benigno also vowed to distribute Hacienda Luisita to its tenant-farmers by 2014 and Palace spokesperson Edwin Lacierda even said “it’s not just a campaign promise, it’s a matter of principle.”
“It is almost three decades after the Mendiola Massacre, with two Cojuangco presidents, but still Hacienda Luisita is yet to be distributed. Hence, this raffling off of [certificates of land ownership award] undoubtedly another fraudulent scheme against the farmers,” Hicap said.
He said any attempt to apply the expired Republic Act 6657, or Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, in Hacienda Luisita is an act of desperation as the land’s own history has exhibited that it should be distributed immediately and free to the farm workers.
“We all know that the farmers have developed the lands of Hacienda Luisita since the Spanish colonial period, that the Cojuangco family used public funds to acquire it under the condition that it would be distributed after 10 years,” he said
“[But] under the Cory Aquino presidency, it implemented the scheming stock distribution option (SDO). Now, they are carrying out Cloa distribution,” he added.
Anakpawis demanded the immediate and free distribution of Hacienda Luisita lands to the farm workers and criticized the possible additional “landlord compensation” to the Cojuangco family as the ultimate result of the raffling out of Cloas.
