Farmers mark 27 years after Mendiola massacre

MANILA, Philippines - Militant farmers, led by the group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), marched from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) office in Quezon City to the historic Mendiola Bridge in Manila yesterday as they commemorated the 27th year of the Mendiola massacre.

This developed after the KMP filed a plunder complaint against President Aquino, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes, Janet Lim Napoles, and 10 others on the alleged misuse of P125 million in Malampaya funds. The KMP accused Aquino of conniving with fake non-government organizations (NGOs) to plunder the funds intended for energy-related development.

“The Filipino peasantry has had enough of the government’s blatant disregard of the people’s demand for justice and genuine land reform. We will work hard and link arms with the people for system change,” said KMP chairperson Rafael Mariano.

Mariano said that “27 years ago, tens of thousands of farmers marched to Malacañang to demand genuine land reform to then President Corazon Aquino’s government. But our demand was met by a volley of live bullets by the military.” At least 12 farmers were killed.

He added that “more insulting to the victims is the first Aquino government’s response... the enactment of a pro-landlord and bogus agrarian reform law that strengthened their control over the more than 6,000-hectare Hacienda Luisita.”

Mariano said injustice continues under the current administration, citing reports of forced eviction of farmers and fencing of hundreds of hectares of lands, allegedly perpetrated by the Cojuangco family-owned Tarlac Development Corp. in Barangays Balete and Cutcut in Hacienda Luisita.