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The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) together with its local chapter the Alyansa ng Manggagawang-bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA) held a picket rally in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to guard the decision regarding the revocation of the stock distribution option (SDO) which is due today or tomorrow. According to Ka Lita Mariano, KMP national council member and the secretary general of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson (AMGL), “we are holding this protest action in defiance of the “no permit, no rally policy” as well as the so-called calibrated preemptive response of the Macapagal-Arroyo regime, because it is always right to fight for our rights. No amount of harassment or persecution can dissuade us from standing up for what is right. Even Martial law did not succeed on doing that, what more this policy from a discredited fake president,” “We are even prepared to hold a vigil here to wait for the revocation of the SDO. The farm workers and workers of Hacienda Luisita has suffered long enough, it is high time that the land that they have long been tilling be now granted to them free of any charge and encumbrances. They have already paid for it with their sweat and blood, it is time that they claim what is rightfully theirs,” added the peasant leader. Meanwhile Rene “Ka Boyet” Galang, concurrent president of ULWU and AMBALA said “we will not settle for anything less than the complete revocation of the SDO, after which the land should be distributed to us free of any fees. The military should also be immediately pulled-out because they have no business in the land we own, we are thereby ejecting them from the hacienda,” “But when we detect any hanky-panky maneuvers
regarding the SDO then we will be forced to prolong and intensify the struggle
for our land,” ended Galang. # # #
KMP - 26 September 2005 |
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