Luisita farmers decry raps filed by RCBC

ANGELES CITY, Philippines  – The Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) and the Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson (AMGL) decried as harassment yesterday charges of grave coercion and illegal occupation of property filed against them by the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC).

Felix Nacpil Jr., Ambala chairman, said the case involved some 184 hectares in Barangay Balete within the Cojuangco-Aquino family-owned Hacienda Luisita which the Supreme Court, in a verdict on Nov. 22 last year, awarded to the farmers.

“We decry RCBC’s criminalization of agrarian cases involving the lands it claims at Barangay Balete. We are determined to fight and assert our rights as legitimate owners also of the 500 hectares of land being claimed by Luisita Realty Corp. (LRC), Luisita Industrial Park Co. (Lipco) and RCBC,” he said.

Over five years ago, some 184 of the 500 hectares were turned over by the Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) to RCBC as payment for a loan.

In protest, the farmers started what they called “bungkalan” by farming the area.

Last Jan. 5, Ambala petitioned the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to revoke its order six years ago converting the 500 hectares from agricultural to industrial land.

The DAR has yet to decide on the petition.

Nacpil said RCBC has filed grave coercion and occupation of real property charges against 23 leaders and members of Ambala after they cultivated the land starting July last year.

“We strongly believe that it was pure harassment to demoralize the struggling farm workers,” he said.

In a joint statement, Ambala and AMGL said that the criminal charges could be part of a ploy to harass farmer-beneficiaries of land reform covering 4,915 hectares in the hacienda.

Even leaders of the United Luisita Workers’ Union (ULWU) and their sympathizer Tarlac City Councilor Emmie Ladera reported being harassed, the statement added.

The farmer groups also accused the Cojuangco-Aquino clan of backing RCBC in filing charges against their officers and members.

Joseph Canlas, AMGL chairman, said in October last year some 60 Army soldiers allegedly summoned by RCBC failed to dismantle camp structures built by the farmers tilling the lands.

“We are preparing for the worst in the RCBC case, as they are powerful and influential and the courts could easily decide in their favor,” he said. 

“We are consolidating our members so that they would not fall for the Cojuangco-Aquino’s coercive moves.”

Canlas said should the court favor RCBC, “we would mobilize all our members in the region, to defend the campout.”

“RCBC is playing with fire, it should realize that the farm workers have endured the violent massacre in 2004, thus, plain issuance of warrants or whatever would not cow and derail them from occupying the hacienda. It is inviting the farmers’ wrath to fall on their Makati office,” he said.

“We are calling on our supporters in Metro Manila to immediately protest at the RCBC main office in Makati if the harassment of farmers continues.”