“We reaffirm our call that CARPer should not be implemented in Hacienda Luisita as it is worse than CARP. We firmly believe that Pres. Noynoy Aquino also head of Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) would influence its implementation through Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)”, Joseph Canlas, Chairperson of AMGL, said.
“Also, for a long time, the Cojuangco-Aquinos have exploited and deceived farmers using CARP and Stock Distribution Option (SDO) as their mechanism to retain their control over Hacienda Luisita. We don’t want another law that is pro-Cojuangco to be applied in hacienda”, Canlas stated
AMGL and Ambala said that the CARPer will authorize the Cojuangco-Aquinos to insert the names of former farmworkers who are now their paid lackeys or those who sided with the SDO. It only means that the farmerworkers under Ambala would be marginalized as it is the only organization in Hacienda Luisita that have fought for their right to land against the Cojuangco-Aquinos.
“Aside from that, CARPer provisioned the reconcentration of Hacienda Luisita lands to the control of the Cojuangco-Aquinos if farmworker-beneficiaries are not able to keep up payment of their amortization for three consecutive years. Obviously, CARPer is not a genuine land reform and it doesn’t serve the Filipino peasants particularly Luisita farmers”, Canlas added.
“CARPer has many loopholes and it is definitely beneficial for the landlords like Cojuangco-Aquinos to preserve their control over Hacienda Luisita” stated by Canlas.
If DAR continues to implement CARPer, Luisita farmers demanded for a collective ownership. This would serve and protect the farmers right to land and would never be controlled by the Cojuangco-Aquinos again.
“If the farmers were given individual CLOAs, the 0.78 hectares of land wouldn’t be enough for their family and selling it to the Cojuangco-Aquinos or another landlords would result to another reconcentration of lands”, Canlas stated.
At present, Ambala is consolidating their ranks by conducting series of meetings, information drive and discussion for the upcoming activities.
Also, they demanded the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to immediately distribute Hacienda Luisita as the Cojuangco-Aquinos maneuver the screening process. As well as, they connived the bogus organizations led by Noel Mallari in calling for individual CLOA that attempts to so confusion among farmers. Mallari is the known Cojuangco paid lackey who proclaimed himself as leader of the Association of 1989 Original Farmworker Beneficiaries who pose as in favor of land distribution but schemingly planning to return the lands to the Cojuangcos.
“AMGL and Ambala together with other farmers in the region renewed our call to junk CARPer. This law is not the true essence of genuine land reform in Hacienda Luisita as well as in the region, thus, we demand the passage of Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) proposed by Rep. Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis Partylist as it serves the interest of the poor peasants”, ended by Canlas. #