DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Three farmers were wounded in the latest standoff between agrarian reform beneficiaries and alleged company guards of a banana plantation in Tagum City on Wednesday morning.
Antonio Tuyak of farmers group UGMAD-TRC said at least 20 suspected armed guards of Lapanday Foods Corporation (LFC) maneuvered around the contested land and opened fire at five farmers who were working on the field at around 7 a.m.
“The farmers went to the field early in the morning when they were attacked by the guards,” Tuyak said.
Tuyak said a farmer sustained gunshot wounds but is still being held by the guards along with his four companions.
“We wish to rescue them especially the wounded but we are too afraid to approach the armed men,” Tuyak said.
The farmers said the armed group is composed of men wearing security guard uniforms and civilian clothing.
“Some are wearing bonnets. They carry shotguns but there are also men carrying rifles. The gun burst was so loud,” Tuyak said.
The latest incident came two days after armed guards opened fire at a group of 50 farmers on their way to harvest bananas, leaving seven people wounded.
The Madaum Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (Marbai) and Lapanday are presently embroiled in a 145-hectare land dispute case after the agrarian reform beneficiaries in the area accused the company of land grabbing.
“The ARBs are being dispossessed of supposedly government-awarded land and forced to live in deplorable hunger and poverty,” Marbai said.
The farmers manned a barricade last week after their demands remain unresolved for several years.
But Lapanday, in a statement sent to the Inquirer, asserted the company was not involved in the first attack.
“Lapanday Foods Corporation denies any involvement in the reported shooting of alleged agrarian reform beneficiaries in Barangay Madaum, Tagum City this morning,” the company said.
Lapanday said they have been requesting police assistance since last week to “investigate the presence of armed men who were seen within the areas under Hijo Employees Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative 1 (Hearbco-1).”
The company claimed the conflict was just between Marbai and Hearbco-1. TVJ