Billionaire landlord Gregorio “Greggy” Araneta’s security guards fired high-powered rifles at civilians on a fact-finding mission in Sitio Ricafort, Barangay Tungkong Mangga, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan last January 28, Friday.
The fact-finding mission led by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) at Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan (AMB) looked into the illegal demolition of four houses two days before.
“Grabeng kahayupan ng mga Araneta. Wala silang kinikilalang batas, puro pandarahas!” lamented KMP National Chairperson Danilo Ramos.
Resident Lea Jordan called for help amid the shooting on a Facebook live. Jordan reported goons firing even at children, including 8 paralegals and around 20 farmers.
“Tulungan niyo po kami, nagkakaputukan na po. Kawawa naman yung mga bata. Nagpaputok sila, di na namin alam ang nangyari sa loob,” said resident Lea Jordan on a Facebook live stream.
According to the peasant women’s group Amihan, the fact-finders were interviewing the families in the area when the guards fired their guns. Two fact-finding mission members were reportedly hurt by physical assault of the armed guards. Witnesses heard more than 20 shots over 10 minutes.
Reports further state that their personal belongings were seized, including cell phones, bags, wallets, and relief goods for the peasant families.
“We condemn this brutal attack against peasant families and the fact-finding team. Hindi na nga nakontento sa paggiba ng mga bahay, pagnanakaw sa mga gamit ng mga pamilya, pati napamaskuhan ng mga bata, ngayon dadahasin pa,” said Amihan national chairperson Zenaida Mendoza as she demanded accountability from the perpetrators.
Araneta Properties Inc. has been trying to evict the Lupang Teresa farmers in the area for nine years in order to convert the farmers’ land into an exclusive subdivision.
The farmers have been fighting Araneta’s land-grabbing efforts since 1997 when the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) released an exemption order from land reform coverage.
Sen. Imee Marcos, the wife of Araneta, previously presented herself as an ally to the agricultural community despite her husband’s land grabbing and violence against the farmers in Bulacan.
Araneta’s brother-in-law, presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has also said that he wants to bring the Philippines back to the “Golden Age of Agriculture” during his father’s regime. A paper by the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), however, found that the majority of violent land grabbing incidents were from former Marcos cronies.
“We challenge 2022 candidates who have constantly pronounced themselves as pro-farmers to speak and act. Especially Marcos Jr. – kausapin mo ang bayaw mo!” said KMP chairperson Ramos.
Featured image courtesy ofAlyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan.
