KMP links killing of village councilor to agrarian dispute
FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Sunday attributed the assassination of village councilor and farmer leader Nemelao “Melon” Barcia, 54, to a land dispute at Hacienda Dolores in Pampanga.
KMP chairperson Rafael Mariano said Barcia is already the second victim of “agrarian-related killings and violence in Hacienda Dolores.”
Media earlier reported that Barcia and his 54-year old wife Maria were on-board their owner-type jeep and were heading home when they were shot by unidentified individuals. The two were rushed to a nearby hospital but Barcia was already dead on arrival. His wife survived after being grazed by a bullet.
“This cowardly act is a desperate attempt by real estate giants to terrorize farmers fighting for their rights to the lands,” Mariano said of the attack.
He said 2,000 hectares of Hacienda Dolores is under dispute after the Department of Agrarian Reform decided that it was exempt from the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), saying the land was not for agricultural use.
But the group said Hacienda Dolores was being converted to a mixed-use area for the purpose of evading CARP coverage. Ayala Land plans to convert 1,125 hectares of the property into a commercial district that includes a business and industrial park, schools, retail centers, a residential neighborhood and a country club.
Mariano said farmers protesting the move were being harassed by Hacienda Dolores and Ayala Land.
“Last January, armed goons and security guards of the Arsenal Security Agency manning the hacienda allegedly open fired on Arman Padiño, Noel and Reynold Tumali while on their way to their farm. Padiño who was shot in the head died, while Noel and Reynold were seriously wounded,” he said in a statement.
The former Anakpawis representative said Congress should investigate the issue.
“Instead of maneuvering to extend the CARP and prolonging the agony of farmers, we challenge the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agrarian Reform (COCAR) to immediately probe the escalating political and agrarian-related killings and violence in Hacienda Dolores,” he said.
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