The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) led an indignation rally in front of the Jose Cojuangco and Sons building in Makati after a month of the Hacienda Luisita Massacre, because up till now justice have not been served to the martyrs. 

According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, secretary general of the group, “though now the nation is mourning the passing of Fernando Poe Jr., we must not forget that only a month ago, 7 of our peasant brothers were massacred by the military and police, with the instructions from the Cojuangcos and the Aquinos. A month has already passed but the Cojuangcos, are adamant in not negotiating with the striking Luisita farm workers,” 

“This is the height of bare-faced callousness and insensitivity to the plight of their own workers and farm workers. While the Cojuangcos are saying that they already lost P64.3 million because of the strike, the farm workers and workers have nothing to eat because of the oppressive and repressive policies of the HLI management,” added the peasant leader

It can be remembered that the farm workers were put in such a horrendous condition of living when the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) was implemented in the hacienda. It gave so-called stocks to farmers instead of actual land distribution. Also now the “take home pay” of farm workers amount to only P9.50 a week.

As for his part, Willy Marbella, spokesperson of KMP, “the Cojuangcos’ and Aquinos’ money and goons are now doing their work as evidenced by the murder of Marcelino “Ka Marcing” Beltran,chair of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Tarlac and a key witness to the Luisita massacre, last Dec. 8. Now families of the victims and other witnesses are also in danger of such a fate.There are also reports that hirelings of the Cojuangcos are trying to bribe some witnesses and the relatives of victims to withdraw their statements and keep quiet,”

“This is the opponent that the farm workers are facing, a clan which does not care of what happens to the people who are responsible for their wealth and they would do anything to attain more profits. Even if it means, displacing the more than 30,000 residents of the hacienda, or giving alms as wages or even killing the people who work for them all these years,” ended Marbella. # # #
 

KMP - 16 December 2004