A simultaneous candle-lighting ceremony all over the country, including at the Bacolod City plaza, will be held Sept. 21, “to remember the day we lost our freedoms to a martial law regime”.
This as farmers of Hacienda Vicenta in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, and allied groups are set to launch a petition calling for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reverse the Department of Agrarian Reform’s land use conversion ruling over this irrigated agricultural land.
The petition will be accessible online on the Facebook page of Kaisahan Tungo sa Kaunlaran ng Kanayunan at Repormang Pansakahan (Kaisahan) starting tomorrow afternoon, Sept. 21, simultaneous with the first-ever physical screening of “Lupang Hinarang sa Hacienda Vicenta” by acclaimed filmmaker, Ditsi Carolino, a press release from the Negrosanon Young Leaders Institute Inc. (NYLI) said Sept 19.
It added that “agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) of Hacienda Vicenta argue that the land conversion ruling over this hacienda is a ‘clear violation’ of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), a government mandate aiming to increase land tenure among farmers.”
“It is clearly stated in the law—Republic Act 6657 and RA 9700—that irrigable and irrigated lands are non-negotiable for conversion. CARP exists to protect our agrarian communities, yet it is ignored time and again,” Kaisahan Negros representative Jec Magbato said.
In 2021, the affected farmers sent a notice to appeal to the Office of the President regarding the issue, where the case is now pending. As of now, no action has been taken, Magbato said.
The farmers remain hopeful that the petition will amplify their call for PBBM to expedite the case. “Naga ayo kami nga mabuligan kami sa pag-file petition, kay nakahibalo kami nga ang amon gina pakiglaban is ara gid sa kinamatarong, kag nga ma-reverse gid ang decision sang DAR nga mag pabor sa amon.”
They said the Office of the President must urgently decide on the side of justice, as Marcos had vowed in his State of the Nation Address to help the plight of farmers and ARBs. “This kind of legal circumvention should not be tolerated by the Marcos administration, as it poses a serious threat to the country’s food security and undermines the decade-long struggle of the Vicenta farmers for their land.” ||
