Quezon farmers seek help from Aquino

LUCENA CITY—Land reform beneficiaries of Hacienda Matias in San Francisco town, Quezon province are calling for help from President Benigno Aquino III after hacienda workers forcibly took their coconut harvest.

More than 20 alleged workers of the hacienda picked coconuts from the lands awarded to farmers on Saturday, while the latter watched helplessly, said Maribel Luzara, president of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Bondoc Peninsula, over the phone on Sunday.

“It was as if Supertyphoon ‘Yolanda’ ravaged the coconut farms,” she said.

She said the workers did not only pick all the nuts but destroyed even the coconut flowers.

“Only the President can stop this wave of terror and injustices. Giving us Cloa (Certificate of Land Ownership Awards) is not enough. We need all the support and protection from Malacañang,” she added.

This was not the first case of harassment experienced by the Cloa holders.

On Feb. 22, hacienda workers also raided the copra kiln of several land reform beneficiaries and took sacks of copra.

Samuel Solomero, head of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Quezon II, said they have filed robbery charges in a court in Gumaca town against the seven hacienda workers.

Solomero said Hacienda Matias, consisting of seven land titles and covering 1,716 hectares, now belong to the farmer-tillers as the whole estate is covered by the land reform program. The coverage is being contested in court by landowners all belonging to the Matias clan.

Luzara said land reform beneficiaries inside Hacienda Matias are getting “restive and desperate.”

Senior Insp. Reden Romasanta, San Francisco police chief, said they would immediately investigate the incident.

“We need the cooperation of the victims. They should come to the station and file the necessary complaints,” he said in a phone interview.

Solomero also vowed that DAR would give full legal assistance to the victims.

But not all victims are willing to go to court. “The rest of the victims were afraid from sure retaliation from the landlords and their workers.

“Besides, most of them were poor and have no money to sustain the cost of prolong legal battle,” Luzara said.

On Feb. 24, 12 Cloa holders managed to bring out 30 sacks or 1,347 kilos of copra from the hacienda but only because they were escorted by policemen, soldiers and representatives from DAR.