UNYON NG MGA MANGGAGAWA SA AGRIKULTURA (UMA)
Press Release
November 6, 2009

For Reference: Roy Morilla, KMP information officer
Contact No. 09074180098

IN GOOD TERMS THEN WITH COJUANGCOS
GMA gave blessing to massacre five years ago, says Hacienda Luisita supporters

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was principally liable to the bloody carnage in Hacienda Luisita that left 7 striking workers dead, injured 200 others and the arrest of 120 farm workers and activists on November 16 five years ago.

"Remember Mrs. Arroyo and the Cojuangcos were the best of friends then. In the defense of a political ally, President Arroyo mobilized 1,000 government troops and cops to quell the legitimate strike and pursued the campaign of annihilation in the name of the Cojuangcos and in the name of its rabid anti-Left campaign and incorrigible national security doctrine," said Lito Bais, spokesperson of Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and acting president of United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU).

Bais said the Hacienda Luisita massacre was a political accommodation and political reward for the Cojuangcos for supporting President Arroyo's assumption to the presidency in 2001 and her reelection bid in 2004, before the two political clans parted ways in 2005 when the Hello Garci election fraud scandal rocked the Arroyo administration.

The agricultural labor leader recalled that Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas ordered the violent dispersal of striking farmworkers on Nov.16 on behalf of the Cojuangco family through the much abused pro-landlord and pro-capitalist tool known as Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ). Bais said the order was echoed by spokesperson of Hacienda Luisita management to justify the bloody massacre as a "legitimate exercise of state power," saying the work stoppage was "illegal and left-inspired.

On Nov. 6, 2004, farm workers went on strike and demanded the reinstatement of some 327 unionists, including nine union leaders, who were fired ten days earlier by the management of the hacienda and the sugar mill --Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT).

This morning, some 50 supporters of Hacienda Luisita farmworkers identified with the activist peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Anakpawis party list trooped to Mendiola Bridge in Manila to begin the 10-day commemoration of the Hacienda Luisita massacre.

KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos and Anakpawis secretary general Cherry Clemente led activists in lighting candles, offered prayers and delivered fiery speeches in the memory of Hacienda Luisita massacre victims.

Both leaders declared that Hacienda Luisita belongs to Hacienda Luisita farm workers and that is about time the Cojuangco family relinquish the hacienda to the collective and effective control of farm workers.

The KMP and Anakpawis leaders told Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, standard bearer of the Liberal Party in the 2010 presidential elections and son of the late former President Corazon Aquino should accept the fact that historically and lawfully, the Hacienda Luisita which his family refused to yield to farmworkers belongs to the collective ownership of hacienda workers and its transfer to farm workers is nearly a century overdue.

"Sen. Aquino should learn the history of Hacienda Luisita and stop making the usual run-around. It is time for the Aquino family to say goodbye to the sprawling 6,453 hectare sugar estate that does not really belong them and was acquired through dubious, manipulative and coercive means," both said in a joint statement.

On December 18, 2008, the Hacienda Luisita Management signed by Hernan M. Gregorio, Jr. -- assistant Estate Manager of HLI imposed a deadline to farm workers that they only have up to October 30, 2009 to harvest and finish all land cultivation activities inside the hacienda. But later the management denied that such eviction order exists, and clarified that was issued was an order asking farmworkers to enlist on or before Nov.15 for proper identification of Hacienda Luisita workforce and agrarian reform beneficiaries.

In response to the Oct. 30 deadline, some 50 supporters of Hacienda Luisita farm workers issued their own cease and desist order against the management and delivered their notice to the Cojuangco business building in Makati City.

In their two-page cease and desist order, KMP and UMA declared the Hacienda Luisita Oct.30 deadline null and void, immoral, unlawful and fatally flawed.

Hacienda Luisita has been under stock distribution scheme since the implementation of CARP in 1991 during the Aquino administration, which the groups said superficially, classified the farmer-beneficiarie s as "stock-holders. KMP and UMA said the SDO commenced with the massive land use conversion (LUCs) that left only about 3,200 hectares of agricultural lands from the original 7,500 hectares in 1958. #
 

Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA)
Email ad uma_pilipinas@yahoo.com.ph Telefax 434-6957
United Luisita Workers' Union (ULWU)
Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA)
October 29, 2009

Press Release

Reference: Lito Bais, Acting Chairperson, United Luisita Workers Union
Felex Nacpi, Chairperson, AMBALA

Hacienda Luisita farm workers defy management memo over land occupation and cultivation. Calling for the October 30, 2009 deadline to be scrap!

Farm workers turned farmers announced that they are vowed to defy the October 30, 2009 deadline given by the Cojuangco owned Hacienda Luisita Incorporated mangement ordering them to stop cultivating the lands which they have fought and won after the infamous November 16, 2004 Hacienda Luisita massacre which took the lives of seven farm workers and leaving hundreds wounded and illegaly arrested.

According to Lito Bais, Acting ULWU president, "We have tasted the fruit of our hard endeavour. Through the initiative of the organization to assert the occupation of once sugar cane field land but now it was turned into rice field and vegetables plots. Farm workers are now able to cultivate lands given by the orgnization with out having fear that the management will destroy their plants unlike in the old days before the strike, we re prohibited to grow plants even in our own backyards. Because of this, we are forced to secretly grow vegetable plants inside the sugar cane plantations to add on our measely salary".

"While we experience hardships because of the inability if not neglegence on the part of the management to give what is due for us, we manage to organized our ranks in every baranggay, talking to members, local officials and even ordinary people who witnessed how the Cojuangco family treated us farm workers. Disregard our rights to decent wages, benefits and tenure. That is why we are pushed to the limit of these injustice that we say it is enough" Bais added.

Hacienda Luisita boasted a 5000 hectares of vast track land where sugar canes are produced dating back in the Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. In the 1950's, through the loans from the Manufacturers' Trust Company of New York and the approval of the Central Bank of the Philippines, Jose Cojuangco Sr, bought Hacienda Luisita from then spanish owned TADECO providing that after ten years, Cojuangco Sr, would give the Luisita holdings back to the farm wokers.

Apparently decades past, the Cojuangco's failed its part of the brgain to give the lands to the farm workers until the deposed of Marcos. And when Cory Aquino clinged to power, she allowed to insert a provision of then CARP the Stock Distribution Option [SDO] that instead of an actual land distribution, the Department of Agrarian Reform [DAR] issued stock to farm workers of Hacienda Luisita leaving the said state untap for the beneficiaries to finally used.

Then the crisis reached its peak when the management rejected the newly installed officers of United Luisita Workers Union [ULWU] and the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union [CATLU] leaving no room for negotiation. On November 6, 2004 they started their picket-protest in front of the refinery plant. Until the afternoon of November 16th arrived, when the combined police and military forces took a further step and violently dispersed.

"Until today not a single military, police or even government official have been punished, we filed both on criminal and administrative charges againts the main perpetrators but the turtle trot process seems going nowhere" lamented Felex Nicpa, chairperson of Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Hacienda Luisita [AMBALA].

He also said that, "And after the gruesome event, some of the Hacienda Luisita supporters were murdered, namely CATLU president Ricardo Ramos, city councilor Abel Ladera, Fr. William Tadena, Marcellino Beltran of Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Tarlac [AMT], Iglesia Filipina Indepiniente Bishop Ramonte while a Ronald Intal, a cultural youth leader is still missing to this day. The cry for justice still howls every inch of land that have been drenched in blood poured by Hacienda Luisita martyrs and their supporters, even it continues to elude us, we are never going to get tired looking for it " Nicpa added.

Under the initiative of ULWU, they started to occupied lands on every baranggay to plant crops like palay and vegetables. The "Bungkalan" [collective farming] as they called it, spread like a wild fire occupying almost half of Luisita's sugar cane plantation.

"As of now, more or less 2000 hectares of farm land had been converted to rice fields and vegetable farms, though we have to learn more how to plant rice to produced a maximum output but through the collective effort of the farm workers and the orgnization we can reach that goal. And also through "bungkalan" we consolidate our members in every baranggay which strengthen our organization as well as motivate them to further support palay and vegetables planting contrary to the management's propaganda that the people wants to plant sugar cane again" Bais disclosed

In addition Bais said that "No one inside Hacienda Luisita wants to plant sugar cane anymore, there are few who attempting to lure our masses to lease their lands to plants sugar cane but we are trying our best to dissuade them to do it, certainly this another tactics of the management to divide our ranks and push their way again for sugar cane planting and grab hold our victory.

" Now that the election is fast coming approach, we are challenging all the presidential hopefulls specially to NoyNoy Aquino, if he's intention is to serve the country, let he begin it in his own backyard that and distribute the land of Hacienda Luisita to the farm workers" Bais concluded.