‘Noynoy siblings arrogant, stupid, political bitches’

FOR BLAMING BABY BOOM FOR HACIENDA WORKERS’ WOES

Four of the biggest rural-based organizations in the country yesterday assailed the sisters of Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer in the forthcoming presidential elections, Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III for blaming the lack of family planning among tenants and farm workers of Hacienda Luisita as the reason for the latter’s woes at the estate.

In a joint press statement, the activist farmers group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), the leftwing fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), the peasant women federation Amihan and the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) tagged Noynoy’s sisters, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Pinky Aquino Abelleda as “politically arrogant, mentally disoriented and morally inept” for putting the blame on the farm workers’ lack of family planning as the main cause of their poverty.

“Noynoy and his sisters are twisting the truth and distorting the life and struggle of Hacienda Luisita farm workers. May the God of truth and justice teach these political bitches the lessons of a lifetime,” the groups said in their joint statement.

“More than 8,000 farm workers were denied of their rights to land. More than 8,000 farm workers were kept as slaves of the Cojuangco-Aquino family and that Luisita workers were compelled to believe that the P9.50 per day salary for each worker is just in exchange for nominal ownership under the blasphemous Stock Distribution Option (SDO) scheme. This is stupid. Pinky and Ballsy are stupid political animals acting like feel-good politicians,” said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap.

The Aquino sisters, except for actress and TV personality Kris Aquino, joined the LP delegation in Candelaria town, Quezon province on Sunday to meet their brother’s supporters there and campaign for his bid for the presidency in the national elections in May.

In an interview with the media, Aquino-Cruz denied allegations that the management of Hacienda Luisita did not give farmer-shareholders their just share of over P80 million paid by the government for the 83-hectares of Hacienda Luisita estate that was utilized as “right-of-way” in the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac-Expressway or SCTEX. She said the money was spent by the Hacienda Luisita corporation to pay off debts.

“Hacienda Luisita is a corporation (and) it has lots of debts. The money (paid by the government) was not divided among shareholders but instead it went to the (corporation’s) treasurer,” Aquino-Cruz said.

In defending the SDO, which has been criticized for effectively exempting the Cojuangcos from agrarian reform, she said the farmers were able to have their land without the government paying even a single centavo for it.

She said the farm workers actually own only 11 percent of the 67 percent shares controlled by the Cojuangco clan.

Pamalakaya, KMP and UMA earlier dared Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to re-open the Senate investigation of the Hacienda Luisita issues, particularly involving its management’s offering of the SDO to the farm workers and the shooting by hired military soldiers of protesting farmers inside the estate on Nov.16, 2004, where seven of the peasants were killed while 100 others were injured.

The groups reminded Enrile that on June 8, 1989, the senator, then Senate Minority Leader of the then President Corazon “Cory” Aquino-controlled Senate, delivered a privilege speech questioning the late President’s insertion of the SDO in her outline for the land reform law.

They said 21 years ago, Enrile accused then President Aquino of usurping power by signing Executive Order 229 to preside over the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council, the body that approved the placement of Hacienda Luisita under the SDO scheme.

“Will the Senate leadership under the Enrile presidency find time to re-open the long-running story of Hacienda Luisita and the controversial SDO in the name of farmers’ right to land and social justice? Is there a guarantee from Enrile that he will re-open the still unresolved cases and issues surrounding the sugar estate of the Cojuangco-Aquino family upon the request of Luisita farm workers?” the groups said in their joint statement.

In his speech, Enrile assailed President Aquino for withdrawing the government case against the owners of Hacienda Luisita, saying her administration had circumvented land reform to remain in control of the hacienda.

“It is about time to re-open the Hacienda Luisita case. It will be moral and politically upright to have this case closed ahead of the 2010 elections with the free distribution of lands to 8,000 farmer-beneficiaries and the punishment of those involved in the Nov.16, 2004 Hacienda Luisita massacre,” UMA spokesman Lito Bais said.

The United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU) said the Cojuangco-Aquino clan is relying on the strength of the SDO to prevent the distribution of the lands inside the 6,453-hectare sugar-milling estate to some of its 8,000 farm workers.

Bais, also the acting president of ULWU, assailed the SDO, which he said had transformed the farm workers into nominal stockholders and also compelled them to accept the hacienda management’s offer of a P9.50 net pay daily. –Charlie V. Manalo, Daily Tribune