Over agrarian land row: Farmers cry harassment

BACOLOD CITY ,Philippines  - A group of farmers from Hacienda Agueda, situated in the boundaries of Brgy. Lalagsan of La Castellana town and Brgy. Odiong of Moises Padilla town, has complained to the media that they were being harassed by armed men suspected to be hired by a powerful person who was bent on seizing their land by force.

In a press conference Thursday, the farmers tearfully recounted how they were being threatened by these armed men, who told them they are about to be ejected from their farms by some "awardees" of CLOA (certificate of land ownership acquisition).

Asuzena Adorado, one of the farmers, said her son, Angelo, 32, was brutally killed last December 3 related to this conflict. She alleged that Fernando Pardillo Sr. and his son Fernando Jr., were behind her son's killing but until now they got no justice for his death.

Eddie Balangaan, spokesperson of the group, said he has been living in Hacienda Agueda for 25 years now, and all the farmers here were treated well by its owner Rosita Montanes.

The CLOA awardees, now escorted by at least eight armed men, regularly went to them and threatened them of eviction, claiming that even their lands have been covered by CARP. Some of them have received death threats, said Balangaan.

On March 28, several armed men "took over" the farm in Brgy. Odiong and told the farmers there to vacate the farm, he said, adding that the armed men forcefully seized the crops, including the sugar cane that they have planted for five months.

Balangaan said they were worried that they would eventually be evicted from their farm and, when that happens, they will have nowhere to go. He said they have filed a petition to DAR and appealed for a review of the awarding of CLOA to these farmers.

While the case is pending, Balangaan said they are appealing that DAR take back the CLOA from these "awardees" and return the ownership of these lands to Montanes.

Montanes has been giving them fair salaries and other benefits, and a parcel of land for them to plant crops like rice and corn for their own consumption, that is why when the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) was implemented, they saw no need to apply for CLOA, Balangaan said.

Balangaan said 43 hectares of Hacienda Agueda in La Castellana and another 33 hectares in Moises Padilla were covered by CARP. He alleged that DAR has awarded CLOA of these 76 hectares to 24 farmers, 14 of whom were not original workers and 10 others were no longer working in the hacienda.

He said Montanes had filed for a petition withholding the CLOA of these 24 farmers, on the premise that they were not farmers of Hacienda Agueda. But while the resolution of the case is pending at DAR, Balangaan said Montanes was kindhearted enough to offer 10 hectares of prime lands in Moises Padilla to these farmers so they will have something to till for their livelihood.

Even now, Montanes is the one paying for the real property taxes of these lands even if it is supposed to be under CARP, he said, adding that the problem was that these farmer-CLOA awardees have suddenly become greedy and violent.