The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) denounced in the strongest terms the foiled violent dispersal of the Hacienda Luisita strikers under the United Hacienda Luisita Worker’s Union (ULWU) and the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union (CATLU), by the combined forces of the Hacienda Luisita guards, the military and the police. According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of KMP, “at exactly 6:20 last night, the dispersal team fired tear gas and smoke grenades on our ranks as well as used a fire truck to try to disperse the picketline. More than 2,000 strikers were converged then at the main gate of the Cetral Azucarera de Tarlac. This is a desperate move of the Cojuangco family to hide, the real situation in the hacienda,”

“The Cojuangcos’ are not content at killing the farm workers slowly by giving them more of an alms rather than a salary at P9.50 a day. Now they are hellbent on stopping the Hacienda workers from being heard,” added the peasant leader.

The strike began at 12 noon yesterday, when the bell for lunch sounded. Thousands of workers abandoned their work and manned their designated places. Their demands are few, just and simple.The reinstatement of the retrenched workers. A moratorium on retrenchment and land use conversions. The junking of the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) scheme. The right to till the land for them to have something to eat.

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP, “the strike will continue until these demands are met and the support of other sectors will pour in to sustain the fight. It is our ardent desire that the plight of our brothers in Hacienda Luisita will not only be known but to be alleviated as soon as possible,”

“It seems that the policy of the Cojuangcos’ are the same with that of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and that is to use the iron fist against those who are demanding change from this highly oppressive and exploitative system,” ended Ala.  # # #
 Note: Another round of dispersal operations was done early this morning and now the police and military are the ones being used. They are trying to equal the number of strikers and now they are blockading the whole area even the food of the strikers cannot get through. 
 

KMP - 7 November 2004