30 farmers get land in Negros after 20 years of waiting

BAYAWAN CITY, Philippines — Nearly 10 years after they secured their certificates of land ownership award (CLOA), 30 farmer-beneficiaries in the 61-hectare property of former congressman Herminio Teves in Negros Oriental were finally installed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Wednesday. Backed by a platoon of policemen led by deputy provincial director Supt. Julius Nuñez, the installation was conducted by DAR Region 7 director Rodolfo Inson. Bayawan City Mayor Herman Saraña and Sta. Catalina Mayor Ruben Melodia, along with the lawyer of Teves witnessed the event. The two mayors congratulated the farmers on their successful installation. Rolando Flores, chairman of Villareal-Caranoche Agrarian Reform Farmers’ Association (VillaCARFA) and five other CLOA holders who camped out for two months and held a two-week long fast at the DAR central office in Quezon City, were also present during the rites. Flores said they lifted their hunger strike and returned home because they had to be present at the roll-call of farmer-beneficiaries during installation. After trying for 10 years to prevent the distribution of the property, Teves finally relented and agreed to relinquish the standing crops to them. “After all is said and done, everything ended just fine, at least for us. We can now leave the animosity and bitterness behind and move on," said Flores . Task Force Mapalad (TFM) president Jose Radito Angeles said: “The farmer-beneficiaries of the former Teves property won because they fought with determination for the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program process. Without CARP and the laws that guarantee their rights to own land, they could not have won the battle." Angeles said Congress should work diligently for the immediate passage of a law extending CARP beyond 2008. If Congress fails to extend CARP, the peasant struggle for land will continue, he added. “We will find new grounds of engagement. The battle for land rights will not end with the demise of CARP," Angeles noted. - GMANews.TV