After Pablo, ComVal still far from recovery
“Siguro nasa 20 percent pa tayo (ng recovery), malaki pa masyado (ang hahabulin) lalo na sa agriculture.” — Compostela Valley Governor Arturo Uy
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“Siguro nasa 20 percent pa tayo (ng recovery), malaki pa masyado (ang hahabulin) lalo na sa agriculture.” — Compostela Valley Governor Arturo Uy
The players in the cacao industry have targeted to produce one Million metric tons of cacao by 2014. Currently, the target falls short with the country producing only 20,000 MT out of the 130,000 to 150,000 MT target. The country needs to plant cacao to about 130,000 hectares to reach the target.
The Department of Agrarian Reform is seemingly caught between doing what the Supreme Court directed them to do and the dictates of the Cojuangco family.
The farm workers are complaining that a year since the Supreme Court decision became final and executory, they are nowhere near owning the land that is rightfully theirs while the Cojuangco-Aquino clan has already been given an advance payment and the decisions of the Department of Agrarian Reform would result in President Aquino’s family retaining control over the land.
"We cannot rely on DAR to implement genuine land reform. We cannot rely on Noynoy Aquino. We must continue implementing our own version of agrarian reform." – United Luisita Workers Union
"It is time to put an end to the more than 40 years of deceptive, anti-farmer, and pro-landlord land reform that is being implemented by the Aquino government." – KMP

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“The promissory note will make it easier for DAR and the Cojuangco-Aquinos to evict the farm worker-beneficiaries from their land. If the farm workers are unable to pay, their land would be confiscated.” – Jobert Pahilga, lawyer of Ambala

By RONALYN V. OLEA
Lito Bais, chairman of Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (Uma)maintained that the DAR should have referred to the signatories to the 1989 Stock Distribution Option instead of the list submitted by the HLI management to the high court.

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“The certificate of land ownership award (CLOA) is a mere scrap of paper. It only means that from now on, the so-called farmer beneficiaries will have to pay the government for 30 years without assurance that they will own the land.” – Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas

By RONALYN V. OLEA
The KMP and CLAIM support the proposal for the creation of a Small Coconut Farmers’ Council (SCFC) to directly manage and administer the recovered coco levy and the creation of a Coconut Farmers’ Fund to comprise the total amount of the coco levy fund.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Agrarian reform has not yet been achieved, no matter how Aquino seeks to create the illusion that his administration has finished implementing it.

Farmers bring land reform demands to Noynoy's gate at Times St. (Photo by Pom Cahilog-Villanueva / Bulatlat.com)

By MARYA SALAMAT
The eighth anniversary of the Hacienda Luisita massacre has also been declared as part of the International Day of Action against Trade Union Repression.

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“Until now, the Cojuangco-Aquinos have not given back our land and we have not received a single centavo as payment for our land that they sold.” – Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
"We are not incidental beneficiaries of the coco levy funds. It was cash that was taken and stolen from us by the Marcos-Cojuangco clique; it's only fair and just that cash is also returned to us." – Coco Levy Funds Ibalik sa Amin (CLAIM)
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