Palace to Luisita farmers crying abuse: Prove it

By: Kristine Angeli Sabillo - 10 years ago

Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Those who are accusing President Benigno Aquino III’s relatives of harassing farmers of Hacienda Luisita should prove their claims, Malacañang said Sunday.

“Those are their accusations, not ours…It is but proper for those who are accusing to present their evidence,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a briefing over state-run radio.

Hacienda Luisita farmers on Friday filed complaints against the President’s sister, Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz, his uncle, Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr., who are both board members of the Tarlac Development Corporation (Tadeco), for various crimes including attempted murder, arson, child abuse, physical injuries, illegal arrest and arbitrary detention, theft, robbery and malicious mischief.

Other people accused in the suit are former Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Virginia Torres, Tarlac Provincial Police Director Alex Sintin and former Tarlac City Police Chief Bayani Razalan.

Coloma said the farmers have long been accusing the Cojuangcos of wrongdoing but has yet to present “concrete evidence.”

“Perhaps we should just follow the due process of law,” he said.

The farmers accused Tadeco of prohibiting them from claiming the land distributed to them through agrarian reform.

But Coloma said the court order has since been implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform.

Atty. Jobert Pahilga, the farmers’ lawyer, said they can easily prove the accusations.

“We can prove our cases but the DOJ must proceed with the preliminary investigation at once,”he said, explaining that while their cases have yet to prosper, those filed by the Cojuangco family have already resulted in the issuance of arrest warrants against the farmers.