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Land Tilling: An Act
Inciting to Rebellion?- SAGUPA
Perpetrators involving elements of the 19th
Infantry Batallion under the command of Lt. Adrian Luel Benedicto asserted
that those innocent-civillian farmers who were unconstitutionally arrested
in the bloody incident in Brgy. San Agustin, Palo, Leyte would face
criminal charges before the provincial prosecutor’s office for illegal
assembly and inciting to rebellion. Isn’t it illogical to file charges
against these legitimate farmers when their weapons only include “bolos”
and agricultural/farm implements like hand tractors?
Samahan han Gudti nga Parag-uma ha Sinirangan
Bisayas (SAGUPA-SB), the regional alliance for peasants strongly condemn
the brutal killings of nine farmers and seriously wounding five others,
and further denounce the criminal case filed against the 16 farmers
involving some Bayan Muna members.
“The 19th IB headed by Maj. Louie Dagoy
should be the one to be prosecuted for illegally “planting” evidence which
includes different firearms and ammunitions which they claimed they have
recovered from these innocent civillians and most especially for harboring
terror and the sadistic killing of the innocent farmers”, lashed Diana
Ragub, Campaign and Advocacy officer of the peasant group.
Based on a fact finding mission conducted by human
rights advocates, church people, militant groups, mediamen with Bayan Muna
partylist Rep. Teddy Casiño on November 22, 2005, exactly a day after the
massacre happened, evidence showed that bullets were sprayed only in one
direction using high powered guns like M-16 and M-203.
Roots of the massacre was a land dispute between the
four farmer-beneficiaries and Pedro Margallo. The latter claimed that the
12 hectares of land occupied by these farmers is part of the property
which his family owns. The said farmers had been declared as legitimate
beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) of
the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (RA 6652). The Department of
Agrarian Reform (DAR) reiterated its decision that Brgy. San Agustin area
is covered by CARP with their organization as San Agustin Farmer
Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative.
“Land dispute have triggered the November 21 Palo
massacre. The presence of the military elements in the area is even
questionable as they have no jurisdiction to settle agrarian disputes”,
stressed Ragub. She further lamented that the idea that Pedro Margallo may
have contacted the soldiers and attracted their attention by explicitly
saying there are ‘armed’ groups in the vicinity of the barangay is not a
remote possibility.
According to the reports gathered by Samahan han
Gudti nga Parag-uma ha Sinirangan Bisayas, Executive Order 448 which dates
back from the time of former president Corazon Aquino paved the way for
the inclusion of all lands in Leyte Sab- a Basin Development Authority (LSBDA)
to be included in the CARP- covered areas, including 24 hectares of land
in Brgy. San Agustin, Palo, Leyte declared as public lands. Under the CAR
Program, the declared and identified agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs)
are Renato Dizon, tilling an area of 2.8 hectares, Rene Margallo has one
hectare, Ariel Santizo has 2 hectares and Francisco Cobacha has 2.4
hectares with Bernabe Burra as his (Cobacha) successor. These farmers have
served as share-tenants to Gorgonio Margallo, Cresencio Pardilla and Pedro
Margallo since 1970’s and they claimed that they are giving regular
rentals/shares both to Gorgonio and Pedro Margallo.
“When the lands were declared as public and
disposable through the CARP, the tenants have openly expressed their
desire to own the lots they have been tilling for many years now,
something which Pedro and Gorgonio Margallo vehemently opposes”, said
Maritess Macabuhay, Research Officer of SAGUPA- SB.
Based on records of the DARAB Case No. R- 0801- 431- 98 of “Maintenance of
Peaceful Possession and/ or Reinstatement, the Dizons, the Margallos,
Santizo and Cobacha have complained that their rice seedlings amounting to
P10,000.00 were destroyed by Cresencio Pardilla and the sons of Pedro
Margallo; that they have apparently lost 260 cavans of palay and that most
of their produce were destroyed by hand tractors operated by Pardilla and
the sons of Pedro Margallo.
“Thus, these farmers sought the help of Bayan Muna and other farmers to
organize a ‘tiklos’ in order to abate resistance from Pedro Margallo and
his sons”, said Macabuhay.
“How could tilling the land appropriated to these
farmer- beneficiaries be anywhere near rebellion? How could ‘tiklos’ be an
illegal assembly when it is the collective farming practice done by
farmers for many years now?” lamented Macabuhay, who is part of the SAGUPA-
SB team researching on the land dispute.
SAGUPA- SB, along with the survivors and the
families of those killed, is demanding justice and an end to killings done
by criminals clad in military uniforms.###
PRESS RELEASE
November 29, 2005
Reference: Diana Ragub, Campaign and Advocacy
Officer
Maritess Macabuhay, Research
Officer
(053) 325- 4345 |
