The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) revealed that the purported plan to declare a “dead season” in the hacienda this coming March 1, will be very advantageous for the interest of Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. 

According to Ka Willy Marbella, spokesperson of the group, “The Cojuangcos’ saw that Plan A or the intimidation of the farm workers through constant dispersals and harassments, as well Plan B or engaging the farm workers on long but fruitless negotiations, did not work to break the militant spirit of the farmworkers, now it seems that the Cojuangco clan has shifted to Plan C, which means the closure of the sugar plantation and to eventually declare bankruptcy,”

“When this happens the Cojuangco management will say that they did all they can to stay afloat but they cannot afford it anymore, but in reality this is still on the purveiw of their game plan so that it would be easier and faster to convert the whole estate into  industrial, commercial and recreational use, to the detriment of the residents on the 10 baranggays in the hacienda, most of which are farm workers and workers in the plantation and the refinery,” added the peasant leader.

“The true underlying reasons for the dismissal of the farm workers and workers, the initial conversion of 500 hectares of the estate into industrial use as well as the reclassification of more than 3,200 hectares of the estate are now coming to the fore. This really exposes the rottenness of the “stock distribution option” (SDO) and the legitimacy of the call for its junking,” expounded Marbella.

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP, “all that the farm workers want and need is for those retrenched to be reinstated and for all of them to have the right to till the land that is theirs in the first place. But every scheme and plot was done and is still being done by the Cojuangcos to keep the land from their rightful owners, the farm workers,”

“Is this the so-called democracy Cory is so proud of?” asked Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 27 February 2005