THE Unyon sa mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) warned Luisita beneficiaries to stay on guard against possible trump-up charges concocted by the military to (hush) curb dissent among beneficiaries collectively pushing for the Department of Agrarian Reform immediate distribution of their land now and against all maneuvers of DAR to make them submit to DAR’s conditions.
According to the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura chairperson Lito Bais; “The military’s two-day show of force stint was a clear warning to the farm workers that if we do not cooperate with the DAR we’re going to get it. They want us to submit to DAR’s condition on the whole distribution process.
The incident started on the night of June 5 when truckloads of armed military personnel arrived in Brgy. Asturias citing intelligence information that communist guerillas were planning to smuggle firearms inside the village. Without any legal papers to present; the army dug a hole on one farmer’s lot allegedly the spot where the New People’s Army stashed their arms. But the army failed to find anything until June 6.
Then on June 7; around 8 pm; an undetermined number of soldiers were again present inside Brgy. Asturias, in a text message sent to Bais by one of his kins saying. “This incident reminded me when Hacienda Luisita was under the grip of terror through the former 7th ID commander and now fugitive Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan. Every night they scour our villages; its’ like they owned the place”.
“UMA assails the staged probe perpetrated by the combined military, police and NBI agents against some members of the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA) in Brgy Asturias. “We fear that this would be a start of another red witch hunt against us. I for one was specifically mentioned by the soldiers. They are looking for me since June 5” Bais said.
The UMA leader added “Under the pretext of intelligence and security; the military is justifying their presence inside our villages without going to any legal procedures. They can turn our villages upside down but they will not find anything but our farm tools. We challenge 7th ID commander Maj. Gen. Gregorio Catapang to produce evidence that we cuddle rebels or hiding weapons in our backyards; if not his speculations and outward malicious intent will be dealt with legal backlash”.
The UMA leader fears that this would result into warrantless arrest by state troopers particularly those who are members of AMBALA, ULWU and other local organizations that have link to progressive groups like UMA and Anakpawis. “Now they are using scare tactic to silence any form of dissent exposing the irregularities on the distribution process”.
Bais further said “Essentially they don’t want to mess up the order of things inside Hacienda Luisita. The Cojuangco-Aquino’s don’t want the farm workers to make Luisita viable for agricultural productivity contrary to the block farming which the DAR is pushing. We want to be our own master; we should be the one to decide what we are going to do with our farmland. DAR should not dictate us.
“We urge our fellow farm workers to stand-up against this obvious red-scare tactic perpetrated by the military with the blessings from no less than their commander-in-chief President NoyNoy Aquino who is hell bent to frustrate our cause. The incidence should be a challenge to us to continue our demand for the free, immediate and unconditional distribution of Hacienda Luisita contrary to the DAR’s disappointing and lackluster performance,” Bais said.
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