Military justifies presence in Hacienda Luisita

MANILA, Philippines—The military on Wednesday denied allegations of human rights abuses and justified its presence in Hacienda Luisita, a sugar plantation in Tarlac administered by the Cojuangco clan, to which President Benigno Aquino III belongs.

“The allegations are unfair, peddled by anti-peace and anti-development groups, which are meant to break and weaken the harmonious relationship between the military and the majority of the residents of Hacienda Luisita,” Commanding Officer of the 3rd Mechanized Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement.

Torres also included in his statatment “certificates” of non-abuse that he said were written“voluntarily” by the parish priest in the area and officials in 10 villages within Hacienda Luisita.

“I never heard of any untoward incidents, abuses or violations involving the military here. In fact, I have seen these men in uniform actively participating in various civil and ecclesiastical activities within our community,” said Reverend Father John Perez, parochial vicar of Central Azucarera de Tarlac.

Barangay (village) Captain Renato Luna of Balete also wrote, “Walang abuso ang mga military sa aking nasasakupan. Ang katotohanan sila po ay nakakatulong katulad ng feeding program sa mga mag-aaral at sa katahimikan sa lugar. Tumutulong din po sila sa pagbibigay ng konting kasiyahan katulad ng film showing at pangkalinisan (There are no military abuses occurring in my jurisdiction. The truth is they are of help including in feeding program in schools and keeping the peace and order in our place. They also help in providing entertainment such as film showings and in cleanup activity).”

Torres said they would not allow themselves to be “distracted by malicious accusations” from a “noisy minority.”

He added that they would continue to conduct peace and development activities in coordination with the local government of Tarlac.

On Monday, farmers from the Hacienda Luisita asked the Department of Justice to investigate the presence of government troops in the plantation.

The United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU), the Alyansa sa mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) and the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) asked Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in a two-page letter of urgent appeal to look into the presence of the military “virtually in almost 10 village communities of Hacienda Luisita.”

The complainants claimed that there were “numerous cases of human rights violations perpetrated by the military and their civilian agents against members of Ambala and ULWU.”

The military was said to have accused some Ambala and ULWU leaders of being members of the communist New People’s Army.

Last week, the military already said that it would not pull out its forces—about 120 soldiers in the plantation—claiming that village officials supported their presence.