The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) together with women and children members of its provincial chapter in Tarlac the Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA) and Amihan stormed the residence of former president Corazon Cojuangco Aquino to demand that they not be evicted from the 4,915.75 hectare sugar plantation. According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of the group “Mrs. Aquino should right a wrong that has long been perpetrated upon the farmers of Hacienda Luisita and their lands must be given back to them. What her family is doing is completely the opposite and they are instead evicting the farmers who have worked in the hacienda all their lives,”

“In fact the situtaion of farm workers in the plantation is so bad that they only receive P9.50  a week, due to the stock distribution option, a scheme the Cojuangco family used to circumvent their relative’s enacted law. Furthermore farm workers in the hacienda are not even allowed by the Hacienda Luisita Incorporated management to plant food crops so that their families can have something to eat considering their pittance of a salary,” lamented the peasant leader.

Diminishing mandays are significantly affected by land-use conversion and mechanization in the hacienda.  Since 1988-1989, guaranteed mandays have drastically dropped because of less manual work available.  

Out of the 4,915 hectares of agricultural lands in the hacienda, 3,290 have been reclassified by the local government 1995, hence, available for conversion.  Around 500 hectares have already been converted into the Luisita Industrial Park 2.  More hectarage is expected to be converted as the Cojuangcos make way for infrasctructure projects like the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway due for contruction until 2005.

As for her part Carina Espina, secretary general of AMBALA said that we came here with our children because it is their future that Cojuangco family is playing with. “If they continue with heir plan to convert the land in the hacienda more than 30,000 individuals of 10 towns would be drastically affected and our children will definitely suffer even more,”
“Is it not enough that what they give us for all our work are more like alms and now they want to evict us? The situation should change in the near future or else they will taste the united strength of the whole Hacienda Luisita community as well as thousands of our supporters,” ended Espino. # # #  
 

KMP - 19 October 2004