Militants slam arrest of 3 Hacienda Luisita workers

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines  â€“ Militant groups yesterday decried the arrest of three workers of Hacienda Luisita last Thursday and accused the police of framing them.

The Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala), Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL) and Anakpawis party-list group accused the police of illegally arresting Ambala leaders Renato Mendoza, Wilson Duque and Jay Parazo on allegations they stole a policeman’s bag.

The three were arrested Thursday while they led some 300 farmers of Hacienda Luisita in seeking a dialog with officials of the Provincial Agrarian Reform Office (PARO) at a hotel in Tarlac City.

While the farmers were holding a rally at the hotel, they noticed a man in civilian clothes taking their pictures. A few minutes later the three were picked up by policemen on allegations that they stole a policeman’s bag containing a cell phone and pistol, the groups said.

“We condemn the illegal arrest and detention of Mendoza, Duque and Parazo. The charge that they stole the bag of a cop is pure fiction. This is part of the continuing harassment of farmers demanding immediate distribution of lands at the Hacienda Luisita,” Ambala vice-chair Florida Sibayan said.

The farmers’ groups were protesting the choice by PARO of an auditing firm identified with President Aquino’s family to audit the Cojuangco-controlled Hacienda Luisita Inc.

The auditing firm was authorized to look into the funds of HLI to ensure that the farmers would get the benefits awarded to them in compliance with the Supreme Court decision ordering land distribution at the hacienda under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has already made public the final list of beneficiaries who will be awarded parcels of land from more than 4,000 hectares of Hacienda Luisita.

But the farmers’ groups questioned the list, accusing DAR of railroading the process of distribution through the auditing firm it had chosen.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes denied the allegations and said his department has been transparent in all aspects, even conducting consultations with all parties involved in the case, including the process of selecting the accounting firm to conduct the special purpose audit on the HLI.  – With Rhodina Villanueva