5 Cojuangco horse stable caretakers on initial list of Luisita beneficiaries — farmers' group 

(Updated 2:42 p.m.) A farmers’ group on Friday claimed that five alleged horse stable hands [caretakers] of President Benigno Aquino III’s relatives are included on the Department of Agrarian Reform’s preliminary list of Hacienda Luisita beneficiaries.

 

In a press statement, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas identified the five as Contacio G. Lundang, Rector G. Lundang, Antonio A. Claridad, Pedro A. Claridad, and Rodrigo A. Claridad. The KMP said their names were included on the DAR's preliminary list of beneficiaries posted in Barangay Balete inside the sprawling Hacienda Luisita — a claim denied by the counsel of Hacienda Luisita Inc.   “I don’t think that is true," lawyer Gener Asuncion told GMA News Online in a phone interview. "I have not received any information from the HLI that there are horse stable caretakers included on the list of farmer-beneficiaries. We have a copy of the list, walang sinasabing ganyan ang mga Cojuangcos.”  But the KMP said it got the information from the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) and United Luisita Workers’ Union (ULWU), which said the five are horse stable hands of the Cojuangcos’ Australia-bred horses. 

 

“The inclusion of Cojuangco loyalists and dummies in the DAR’s list of beneficiaries is exactly the reason why the DAR’s so-called verification process is a scam and a barefaced maneuver by the President’s family to once again evade land distribution,” KMP deputy secretary general Randall Echanis said. Preliminary visit

 

Reached for Malacañang's comment, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the purpose of the preliminary list was to allow any person to question and file a petition to exclude or include beneficiaries.

 

“(DAR) Secretary Gil delos Reyes released for public scrutiny, the preliminary list of farmer- beneficiaries precisely for any person to file a petition for exclusion or inclusion,” Valte said in a text message to GMA News Online. Asuncion, for his part, said neither the HLI nor the Cojuangcos have a hand in the preparation of the list. “Walang kinalaman ang Cojuangcos or the HLI, ang DAR ang gumawa ng list,” he said. He said those questioning the list should go DAR Tarlac to have it revisited. “Kung me kino-contest sila, dapat pumunta sila sa DAR, ongoing ang cleansing nung list. That’s the mandate of DAR, to validate and examine the list.” Deceiving farmworkers?

 

But Echanis maintained the inclusion of the above-mentioned names clearly demonstrates that the Cojuangcos have no plans of letting go of Hacienda Luisita and are now using DAR and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to once again deceive the farmworkers.

 

He further said “these names of Cojuangco dummies are only a few of those listed in the DAR’s preliminary list of beneficiaries.” Asuncion said he agrees that only the true beneficiaries should be included on the list. “It is a tedious process but the objective is to come out with an authentic list of beneficiaries. Hindi maganda na may makasama dun na hindi naman tutuong beneficiary at hindi maisama sa listahan yung tutuong beneficiary,” he said. The lawyer said the list of beneficiaries has grown over the years with the inclusion of the children of the original farmorkers. “Halos 10,000 na yang beneficiaries, lumaki ang listahan dahil yung mga original members nawala na at pumasok na ngayon yung mga anak. May 4,000 pa na hindi nakasama pero me rightful entitlement daw sila, workers din daw sila,” he said.

 

Last October 31, the DAR issued two lists of beneficiaries, the preliminary master list which includes 5,365 potential farmer-beneficiaries who have been deemed qualified after two interviews and after submitting documents as proof of their employment. 

 

Another set, composed of 1,221 farmers, on the other hand, has been placed on a provisional list because of deficiencies in documentary evidence that would prove the validity of their claim.

 

Echanis said after “deeper scrutiny” of the two lists issued by DAR, they found out that many of those listed by the DAR in the provisional list were legitimate farmworkers and were asked to submit so many documentary requirements while those who were in the preliminary master list are not farmworkers, but rather horse stable and house helpers of the President’s relatives.

 

He said they would continue questioning the DAR’s so-called distribution process as the inclusion and exclusion process is along the line of the Cojuangcos “to prolong the agony of the farmworkers.”

 

“We anticipate the Cojuangcos to question the inclusion and file exclusion charges against legitimate farmworkers in the list thereby prolonging the agony of farmworkers. This is how landlords make use of the bogus CARP to keep control of their landholdings,” Echanis said.

• P500 million received by the HLI for the sale of 200 hectares out of the 500 hectares covered by an August 14, 1996 conversion order;
• P750 million received by the HLI's subsidiary, Centenary Holdings, Inc. for the sale of the remaining 300 hectares from the 500-hectare land; and
• P80,511,500 paid by the government for the sale of the 80.51-hectare lot used for the construction of the SCTEX road network.