The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in the Church-Peasant and Relatives of Victims of Human RightsViolations  condemned to high heavens the attempted massacre of a peasant family in Brgy. Pedro Quinez, Mayantoc, Tarlac. 

According to Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, “secretary general of the group, “At about 10:30 am yesterday, Artemio Sr, Artemio Jr. and his wife were on board a tricycle in Mayantoc, Poblacion on their way home from the market when they were attacked by 4 military looking armed men on board 2 single motorcycles. The older Carmen died, while the couple is still in the Ramos General Hospital in Tarlac City, and are still under watch by the military and the police.

“The Carmen family are members of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Tarlac (AMT), the local chapter of KMP and are also staunch supporters of the 7 month old strike in Hacienda Luisita. Artemio Carmen Sr., is also the baranggay captain of Baranggay Pedro Quinez. Like Marcelino “Ka Marcing” Beltran, the military is trying to silence the Carmen family for their advocacy of genuine land reform,” added Ramos.

It can be remembered that Ka Marcing was killed in front of his house in Tarlac last December 8. Ka Marcing was the chairman of AMT and a key witness in the Hacienda Luisita massacre.

Meanwhile Ka Willy Marbella, internal deputy secretary general of KMP, “ is this the government’s reply to our demand for land? Always with the barrel of a gun, the hands on Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo are as bloodied as the hands of Ka Temyong’s killers. All her talk of feeling our pain is insulting to the toiling masses,”

“Her double speak and sadistic policies will be answered by an overwhelming cry of peasants all over the country of  “Pahirap sa Masa, Patalsikin si Gloria!” on June 10, to denounce the 17th anniversary of the bogus Comprehensive Agrarian reform Program (CARP),” ended Marbella. # # #
 

KMP - 6 June 2005