[Video] 100 Days of Noynoy Aquino: Where’s the Change?
[Video] Where’s the Change?
[Video] 100 Days of Noynoy Aquino: Where’s the Change?
POSTS FOR "Land Rights & Rural Development"
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Peasants Killed, Yet Not Even a Single Hectare of Land Distributed
Peasants Killed, Yet Not Even a Single Hectare of Land Distributed
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Farmers' group Kilusan ng Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said human rights violations and no land distribution even in haciendas under agrarian dispute characterize the first 100 days of the Aquino presidency.
Leader of Farmers’ Group Beaten Up Then Killed by Soldiers
Leader of Farmers’ Group Beaten Up Then Killed by Soldiers
By RONALYN V. OLEA
In March 2007, peasant leader Rene Quirante was imprisoned when criminal charges were filed against him by the military. Eventually, the case was dismissed. But on Oct. 1, around 2:00 a.m., soldiers of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army silenced him forever.
Hacienda Luisita Peasants, Lawyer File Memorandum Asking SC to Order Land Distribution
Hacienda Luisita Peasants, Lawyer File Memorandum Asking SC to Order Land Distribution
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
The 49-page document contained the farm workers' final stand regarding the agrarian dispute, which has been going on for more than a century already. "The justices would be able to find every answer to their questions (in this memorandum)," ULWU acting president and Ambala vice chairmain Lito Bais said.
Luisita Farmers Walk Out of Mediation Hearing, Urge SC to Rule on Case
Luisita Farmers Walk Out of Mediation Hearing, Urge SC to Rule on Case
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
When the lawyers of the Cojuangco family said, during the September 14 hearing, that they are open to land distribution if the price is right, the farm workers finally became hopeful. However, the Cojuangco clan denied it the very next day.
Mediation Panel Favors Land Distribution at Hacienda Luisita
Mediation Panel Favors Land Distribution at Hacienda Luisita
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
On a roller coaster ride in their struggle for the land they till, victory seems to be within grasp for the farm workers of Hacienda Luisita after the mediation panel announced that the land should be distributed, effectively revoking the Stock Distribution Option being imposed by the Cojuangco clan.
Hacienda Luisita Mediation Panel Suggests Another Referendum
Hacienda Luisita Mediation Panel Suggests Another Referendum
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
"The farm workers of Hacienda Luisita had been through so many referendums already. All of these were merely used by the Cojuangco family to deceive the farm workers and keep the land." – Lito Bais United Luisita Workers Union acting chairperson.
Peasants Worry Mediation Panel May Prolong Luisita SDO Case
Peasants Worry Mediation Panel May Prolong Luisita SDO Case
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO, MARYA SALAMAT and ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
After playing tough against the Luisita SDO during the first oral argument, the SC justices seemed to have "retreated" during the second hearing, forming a mediation panel for a "happy compromise." The peasants' desire for actual distribution of land, which the peasants say is no longer negotiable, should have been clear by now.
Slideshow: Hacienda Luisita Farm Workers Trash ‘Financial Assistance’ by Cojuangco-Aquinos
Slideshow: Hacienda Luisita Farm Workers Trash ‘Financial Assistance’ by Cojuangco-Aquinos
Luisita Farmers Trash 'Financial Assistance'
Catholic Bishops to Aquino: Fulfill Pro-Poor Platform, Ignore Luisita SDO
Catholic Bishops to Aquino: Fulfill Pro-Poor Platform, Ignore Luisita SDO
“The president cannot feign neutrality in this issue, for his silence and inaction will mean an implicit endorsement of the unjust compromise deal orchestrated by Cojuangco-owned HLI,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said in a statement.
SC Justices Demolish Cojuangco-Aquinos’ Justifications for Giving Farmers ‘Pieces of Paper’ Instead of Land
SC Justices Demolish Cojuangco-Aquinos’ Justifications for Giving Farmers ‘Pieces of Paper’ Instead of Land
By MARYA SALAMAT
Highlights in Wednesday’s oral arguments at the Supreme Court: Why farmers' shares of stocks were diluted, why new workers who were not party to the SDO in 1989 were given new shares, why shares were distributed within 15 years and not within three years as the law required, why the estate should not have been fragmented, why PARC’s revocation order is not a violation of the Bill of Rights, and why HLI’s failure to get DAR's "compliance certificate" could put SDO in trouble. Watch Bulatlat's video primer on the SDO | Read more about the SDO
News in Pictures: For Hoodwinked Farmer, Land Is So Much Better
News in Pictures: For Hoodwinked Farmer, Land Is So Much Better
Maximo Sebastian found himself joining the day long protest rally in front of the Supreme Court (SC) last August 18. He was calling on the magistrates to reject Hacienda Luisita Inc’s (HLI) petition against the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council decision to junk the sugar estate’s stock distribution option (SDO) scheme.
News in Pictures: Farmers, Supporters Attend Solidarity Mass on Eve of SC Oral Arguments on Luisita Land Case
News in Pictures: Farmers, Supporters Attend Solidarity Mass on Eve of SC Oral Arguments on Luisita Land Case
A solidarity mass for the farm workers of Hacienda Luisita, officiated by Auxiliary Bishop of Manila Bp. Teodoro Bacani, was held in Sto. Domingo Church, Quezon City, on Tuesday --- a day before the Supreme Court will hold oral arguments on the petition for certiorari filed by the Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) management against the 2005 resolution of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) and Department of Agrarian Reform revoking the SDO and ordering the distribution of land to the farm workers.
All Eyes Today on SC as Farm Workers, Cojuangco-Aquinos Battle Over Luisita
All Eyes Today on SC as Farm Workers, Cojuangco-Aquinos Battle Over Luisita
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Lawmaker says Supreme Court itself will be on trial. “The Hacienda Luisita land dispute is the first acid test of the Supreme Court under the Aquino administration. The Cojuangco-Aquinos have put the Supreme Court on trial here,” says Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano.
Stock Distribution Option: Land Reform without Land
Stock Distribution Option: Land Reform without Land
That the plight of farm workers at Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac has already faded from the mainstream media limelight does not mean that there is now peace in the area. Last April 22, some 1,500 farm workers agreed to withdraw their shares in Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI), demand that stock distribution option (SDO) be revoked and opt for land distribution instead.
AFP, Police Can’t Win ‘Hearts and Minds’ at Hacienda Luisita
AFP, Police Can’t Win ‘Hearts and Minds’ at Hacienda Luisita
Hacienda Luisita continues to be a battle ground, albeit unarmed, between residents and government troops. Since March 10, three companies of soldiers have been deployed here while angry people and village officials have been trying to drive them away by sheer grit and numbers.
Confessions of a ‘Yellow Armyman’
Confessions of a ‘Yellow Armyman’
A former member of the Yellow Army and supervisor of Hacienda Luisita who admitted to being one of campaigners for the Stock Distribution Option in 1989 tell how he did so -- and why they are going against it today.
Abelardo Ladera: The Hero of Luisita
Abelardo Ladera: The Hero of Luisita
Before the coffin bearing the remains of Tarlac City Councilor Abel Ladera, the ninth Hacienda Luisita martyr, was buried, it was opened for his family and barriomates one last time. It took however almost an hour before the people could finish their goodbye: young ones took pictures of him with their cellular phones; the older ones patted the coffin, with whispers of “Salamat po, salamat po” (thank you, thank you) while a woman asked with a break in her voice, “Bakit ka nila pinatay, wala na kaming kasama.” (Why did they kill you, we no longer have someone to help us.)
The Untold Story of Hacienda Luisita Workers
The Untold Story of Hacienda Luisita Workers
Holding a multi-colored bayong (plastic market bag), Mang Pering, a retired sugar farm worker, looked half-scared and half-exited. Inside his bayong was a panti (fish net made of nylon) and some dry clothes. He is on his way to the nearby river where he hopes to get some fish so his family would have something to eat for the day. But before he left, he said he only had one wish: “Sana hindi ako mahuli ng gwardya” (I hope the guard won’t catch me).
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