Cojuangcos-Aquinos-Lorenzos behind moves to junk Ka Paeng’s Confirmation

THE Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) today stated that the Cojuangcos-Aquinos-Lorenzos are behind moves to oppose Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano’s confirmation as Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary.

This is not surprising, according to UMA Secretary General John Milton (Butch) Lozada as the CojuangcosAquinos-Lorenzos are hacenderos and plantation owners. As such they are against any genuine agrarian reform, which Ka Paeng advocates.

The Lorenzos who own Lapanday Foods Corp. (LFC) in Mindanao are the majority owners now of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT). They also own two subsidiaries of CAT, namely Luisita Land Corp. (LLC) and Agrikulto Inc. Lito Bais, Rodel Mesa, Noel Mallari, Roberto Nidera, Edgar V. Aguas, and the barangay councils of Sta. Catalina, Asturias, and Motrico are from Hacienda Luisita and the minions of the Cojuangcos-Aquinos-Lorenzos.

All of them like their landlord/oligarch patrons are against the decisions of Sec. Mariano Paeng to junk Tarlac Development Corporations (Tadeco) appeal to exempt 358 hectares from land reform and the revocation of the conversion order of Luisita Realty Corp. (now LLC), Luisita Park Inc. (LIPCO) and RCBC for failure to develop the lands covered by the conversion order within 5 years from the date of the said order.

Robert Nidera and the barangay council of Sta. Catalina were involved in the violent ejection of farmers who had been tilling 104 hectares of lands since 2005 and is part of the Tadeco lands which Ka Paeng recently ruled in favor of the peasants.

Edgar Aguas, who is also the barangay Capt. of Central, was a recipient of P3.5 million in DAP funds from former President BS Aquino for a small multi-purpose hall in Barangay Central, Hacienda Luisita. He is also one of the stockowners of CAT and like the rest of the above are all alleged brokers of the aryendo or leasehold system to dummy financiers of the Cojuangcos-AquinosLorenzos.

This includes Agrikulto Inc. whose main function is to engage in sugarcane farming on leased agricultural lands to ensure and increase the cane supply to be milled by the parent company CAT. Agrikulto Inc. is the principal employer together with CAT of the almost 900 sacadas from Mindanao who were trafficked to work in Hacienda Luisita and in other sugar cane areas in Central and even Northern Luzon.

Manolito B. Dagatan and Hernani P. Geronimo are both officials of Lapanday Foods Corp. and who had defied Ka Paeng’s earlier decisions to install the MARBAI farmers to their lands being held by LFC. LFC only relented when Pres. Duterte himself showed his support to the Marbai farmers and to the latters determined and concerted efforts to occupy and cultivate their lands.

It would be wise then for the Commission on Appointments (COA) to take notice of these facts in their decision whether to confirm Ka Paeng as DAR Secretary on August 30 or not. The rejection of Ka Paeng as Dar Sec. would only show that the present Duterte government is no different with hacenderos and oligarchs like the Cojuangcos-AquinosLorenzos of Hacienda Luisita and Lapanday Foods Corp.

- Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura/Federation of Agricultural Workers|Philippines