Farmers push land rights in Malacañang rally

(Updated 12 nn) MANILA, Philippines - Farm workers from the three haciendas owned by the Arroyo family in Negros Occidental slipped past presidential guards and staged a lightning rally in front of Malacañang Tuesday morning, GMA's Flash Report said. Some 20 farmers who participated in the lighting rally in front of the New Executive Building took off their shirts to protest the government's failure to uphold their land rights. They are farm workers of Haciendas Bacan, Grande and Paraiso. The protesters, chanting "Lupa ng Arroyo, ipamahagi" (Distribute the lands of the Arroyo family), said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself failed to fulfill her promise seven years ago of distributing her family's haciendas to farmer-beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). "Gusto naming malinawan kung gusto niyang (Mrs Arroyo) ipamahagi sa amin, sa araw na ito dapat na tupdin niya ang kanyang pangako. Lupa lang ang kailangan namin," said Jose Rodito Angeles, president of peasant federation Task Force Mapalad and a worker at the Hacienda Grande. The protesters were later hauled into a passenger jeepney and brought to a police precinct for investigation. The farmers went to Manila last week to seek audience with Mrs Arroyo regarding her promise. The 157-hectare Hacienda Bacan in Barangay Guintubhan, Isabela is owned by First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. The land's conversion had been stalled after the President recently called for a moratorium because of the rice crisis. Angeles said in an earlier interview that the Arroyos had not scrapped the plan to set up a bio-fuels plant inside the hacienda for production of ethanol. He said they wanted the President to order Department of Agrarian Reform to proceed with the long-pending valuation of the hacienda so that the certificates of land ownership award can be generated in favor of the 67 farmer-petitioners, 30 of whom belong to Task Force Mapalad. He added that there is also a pending claim folder for 19 hectares of Hacienda Grande which should already be submitted to the Land Bank for valuation of the property. Angeles is one of the 22 potential beneficiaries of the 197-hectare Hacienda Grande owned by the First Gentleman's uncle, Antonio Arroyo, in Barangay Robles, La Castellana. In the case of the 60-hectare Hacienda Paraiso, also owned by Antonio Arroyo, in La Carlota City, a notice of CARP coverage had been issued by DAR last March for a 15-hectare portion, but the landowner had filed a protest against the coverage. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV