Sixteen years is apparently not enough to obliterate the nightmare: On Jan. 22, 1987, 13 farmers were killed at the site -- still called Mendiola Bridge at the time -- in a strafing by anti-riot forces. 

The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), to which the victims had belonged, said it would mobilize members from Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon, Cordillera, and the Bicol regions to stage a "peasants' version" of the Catholic Church's "Fourth World Meeting of Families," which also starts Wednesday. 

Today's commemoration would be led by the families of dead as well as the survivors, who were still seeking justice, according to current KMP chair Rafael Mariano. 

Anti-riot personnel from the Western Police District, the Integrated National Police, and the Philippine Marines had opened fire on a protest rally of 10,000 peasants demanding "genuine land reform" under the newly installed Aquino administration. 

After the shooting, Danilo Arjona, Leopoldo Alonzo, Adelfa Aribe, Dionisio Bautista, Roberto Caylao, Vicente Campomanes, Ronilo Dumanico, Dante Evangelio, Angelito Gutierrez, Rodrigo Grampan, Bernabe Laquindanum, Sonny Boy Perez, and Roberto Yumul lay dead. More than 80 others were wounded. 

The massacre scuttled ongoing peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. A year later, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) was passed by Congress and signed into law by then President Corazon Aquino. 

According to the KMP's narration of events, peasants and fisherfolk started a camp-out on Jan. 15, 1987 in front of the Ministry of Agrarian Reform building in Quezon City. They were clamoring for the complete realization of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) that Pres. Aquino had promised to implement. 

Five days later, KMP leaders headed by Jaime "Ka Jimmy" Tadeo held a dialogue with then Agrarian Reform Minister Heherson Alvarez, but the talks bogged down. On Jan. 22, the farmers decided to march to Malacanang, to present their demands directly to Aquino. 

The march started from the MAR camp-out at 10:30 a.m., with more rallyists from the student, women, labor and urban poor sector joining along the way. They stopped to hold a brief program at the Liwasang Bonifacio fronting the Manila Central Post Office at 1 p.m. Finally at 4:30 p.m., the protesters, now numbering close to 15,000 proceeded to the Palace. 

At the foot of Mendiola bridge, the anti-riot squads blocked the path with four six-by-six trucks and eight fire trucks. Pandemonium broke loose when the marchers pressed on. 
 

Still according to the KMP account, an explosion was followed by the hurling of pillboxes, stones and bottles. When the police line was breached, gunshots rang out. The demonstrators disengaged, but sporadic firing continued. 

Danilo "Ka Daning" Ramos, current KMP secretary-general, recalled how his comrades fell as they were shot "like chickens in the wild." He was 31 years old, and the spokesperson for the Alyansa ng Magbubukid ng Bulacan. 

"They were heavily armed," Ramos said. "They were out to kill us. When we tried to flee, soldiers aboard owner-type jeeps continued to fire at us. We all shouted for them to stop, but our cries fell on deaf ears." 

Immediately after the incident, Aquino issued Administrative Order No. 11 creating the Citizens' Mendiola Commission headed by retired SC Justice Pedro Abad Santos, with retired Justices Jose Peria and Antonio Miranda as members. 

On Feb. 27, 1987, the commission recommended the criminal prosecution of four unidentified, uniformed individuals shown either on film footage or in photographs firing in the direction of the marchers. It also recommended the prosecution of all the commissioned officers of both the Western Police District and the INP Field Force, who were armed during the incident. 

The House Committee on Human Rights, on Feb. 10, 1988, recommended the "expeditious payment of compensation" to the victims. 

On their own, the victims' families and the survivors filed charges against the government and several police and military officers for damages amounting to 6.5 million pesos. Among the defendants were former Pres. Fidel Ramos, who was then National Defense Secretary; former AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Renato de Villa; former WPD Superintendent B/Gen. Alfredo Lim; Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, then chief of the Philippine Marines; B/Gen. Brigido Paredes, former Marines commandant; Col. Edgar dela Torre and Col. Romeo Monfort of the defunct Capcom; and former PNP Chief Cesar Nazareno, then WPD deputy superintendent. 

On May 31, 1988, Judge Edilberto Sandoval of Branch 9 of the Manila Regional Trial Court dismissed the P6.5-million class suit filed by relatives of the 13 farmers against the Aquino administration. On August 8, 1988, the Supreme Court upheld the RTC decision, citing the government's immunity from suit. 

The case was "dismissed with finality." To date, no one has been indicted, and the victims have not been compensated. 

"It seems the death of our 13 farmers is meaningless. There's no genuine agrarian reform in sight," Tadeo lamented on Tuesday." With Christine A. Gaylican and Marlon Ramos 

KMP - 22 January 2003