A farmers’ group debunked claims of Agrarian Reform Undersecretary Elmer Distor that “landlords and capitalists” no longer “hold sway over vast tracts of agricultural lands.”
Bulatlat‘s coverage of Hacienda Luisita has since been the benchmark of other agrarian reform stories it has covered through the years, its lessons and victories often told to the next generation of journalists to serve as a reminder that peasant stories also deserve the spotlight.
Fourteen years after the Hacienda Luisita massacre, farmers still fight for their land. The Cojuangco-Aquinos have regained control of the vast sugar plantation with the aid of the Department of Agrarian Reform, military and police.
“The SC decision lacks any sense of social justice.”
“Thirteen years after Hacienda Luisita massacre, no one has been arrested, put to trial and punished for the carnage that killed seven farmworkers on November 16, 2004.”
By DEE AYROSO
Groups are calling for the release of Ambala leader Florida Sibayan, who was arrested by police during a protest in Hacienda Luisita this morning.
In commemoration of the 13th year of the Luisita Massacre on Nov. 16, Bulatlat posts this article on recent experiences on collective land cultivation as a form of struggle against land monopoly, and their compilation in a book.
Farmworkers in the sugar estate are fighting back for justice and genuine agrarian reform.
How many sacadas must be exploited in Hacienda Luisita and other sugar plantations in the country to produce sugar made bitter by their sweat and tears?
The sakadas worked from 4 a.m. until 5 p.m. for a pay way below the minimum wage of P334 per day in Tarlac. They received P9 to P128 per day due to numerous deductions.