“Hindi kami susuko sa hilingin ang hustsyang mailap para sa mga biktima sa loob ng 24 na taon. Hindi rin naming maatim na ang lipunang Pilipino aya papayg na hindi maparusahan ang mga maysala, silang mga kumitil sa bukay ng mga nakikibakang mamamayan. Ang Mendiola Massacre ay isang bangungot sa ating kasaysayan na dapat ituwid upang hindi ipaabot ang maling mensahe sa mga kabataan at sa susunod na henerasyon n gating lipunan,” they said. Among the signatories was Teresita Arjona, the widow of one of the Mendiola Massacre victims, Danilo Arjona.

The peasant groups have also launched the Peasant Countdown to the SC Decision on Hacienda Luisita campaign. Organizers said that they will continue to hold actions and other activities to press the chief justice and the 14 other justices to lay down a decision on the HLI case.

State Employees for Land Reform

After the SC and the DOJ, the farmers groups proceeded to Mendiola where they were joined by peoples organizations under the banner of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

Government employees also came out in full force to join the protest. Led by the Government Employees for Genuine Land Reform (GE4GLR) and the Confederation for the Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage), they said that as public servants, they believe that the continuing struggle of for land, justice and genuine land reform is an important concern of employees as well.

The farmers also denounced human-rights violations targeting their sector. (Photo by Ina Alleco R. Silverio / bulatlat.com)

“The absence of genuine land reform is a glaring example of how the State persists in abandoning its mandate to provide social services and support to the basic sectors of society, particularly those who work to feed the nation,” GE4GLR spokesman Mar Araba said. “It is ironic that a President who prides himself on pursuing a “daang matuwid” continues to deny the valid demand for agrarian reform even as history has proven that social justice through genuine land reform is the key to lasting peace and development in the countryside,” he added.

Araba said that the Aquino administration’s stand on the Mendiola Massacre and the ongoing dispute in Hacienda Luisita are gauges of its sincerity to lend an ear to its constituents.

The police came in full force and blocked the farmers. (Photo by Ina Alleco R. Silverio / bulatlat.com)

“Twenty four years later, the authorities responsible for the carnage at Mendiola remain scot-free. It is about time to finally hold them criminally liable and to grant the victims’ families a taste of justice,” Araba said. “The same goes for Hacienda Luisita; rather than using pro-landlord loopholes, such as retention limits, non-distributive options and land conversions to skirt around the issue of land distribution, Aquino should make an example of HLI and immediately provide the peasants their own land to till. It will be the only way to grant justice to those who perished during the November 2004 massacre.”

Among the highlights of the program in Mendiola were the progressive sectors’ strong opposition to Republic Act 9800 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program extension with reforms (CARPer law) and Oplan Bayanihan, the Aquino government’s counter-insurgency guide.

KMP leaders said the group will call the attention of the respective peace panels of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to the big cases of agrarian disputes in the upcoming peace talks next month.

 Save as PDF