MANTUANO, Donita Marie B.

Hacienda Luisita Massacre Documentary

BSAC-1A Miss Mheralyn Fernandez Silang

Does justice cease to

matter when legal
rights and human
rights appear at the
same time? What is
really the definition
of justice for
Cojuangcos and for
the farmers?

I have grounded on
the idea that this paper can really help in addressing the issue of owning no land
and poverty among our Filipino farmers. This reflection paper of mine mainly talks
about those valiant and brave farmers, who are considered our country’s top food
producers. They have been the victims of various forms of injustice by the society,
and with that, the most and bravest thing that they could do is to struggle for the
acknowledgement of their privileges as recipient and beneficiaries of agrarian
reform programs by the Philippine government.

Let me start off by admitting that I am not fully aware

and well-educated about the issue regarding
Hacienda Luisita and I never saw the gravity of this
poblem for I am now focused on the present time.
The only thing I know is that this issue involves
a conflict beteween the Cojuangco Family and
the farmers and workers in the land that they
have been appealing for a long time to the
Cojuangcos to spare them a piece of land that
they can call their “own”. However, the
Cojuangcos never considered these farmers’
appeal and continuously refuse and reject to give
them what they really deserve. But after watching
the 37-min

Address: Governor Feliciano Leviste Road, Lipa City 4217, Batangas, Philippines
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Telephone Numbers: +63 43 757 5277
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 documentary, I felt the embarrassment for not having so much care about the
issue. I could have enlightened myself about what is happening to these poor
farmers, but I never did. I could
have showed even a little
interest in knowing more about
what these farmers are fighting
for, but I also never did. I could
have done something to share
this information to other people,
but I never did. And now, I
repent not doing anything
because I feel like it is already
too late to help them out. I
really have the full emotion on
how farmers showed their
undying love for the land they
needed for their lives. It really reflects me as I should also fight for what is really
my right and show love for getting it. It also showed how far we, people would go
to defend our rights as human beings for our survival and how the government
and Cojuangcos failed to put themselves in the shoes of the people, especially
the farmers and the workers.
Justice for the Cojuangcos and for the government defined to limit and just
move around the ownership of the land: Hacienda Luisita. Them, having the
power (legal rights), are the only ones who have the lawful right to ask those poor
farmers and workers to leave their land because they have no right to be there at
the first place. But our farmers are still giving their all not to lose their right for the
said land. Yes, it was reasonable to tell these farmers to leave but, however,
when the issue of the practice of conducting negotiations between them failed,
the government and the Cojuangcos felt that they need to resort to violence for
they think that it is the only way to stop the farmers for their labor strike (welga)
and for destroying their picket line. On the otherhand, the farmers’ definition of
justice, talks more about their lives (human rights). They know that they are only
taking their rights as a citizen and that the government and Cojuangcos had no
right to take their human rights such as right to labour and their right to life away
from them. They believed that they have the power to fight for their right if they
will be together fighting for it. But, of course, in every fight, there would be
casualties.There are farmers who died protecting the land they had treated as
their own. They risk their own lives and even bravely given their lives for the land
and that really showed how their lives would be miserable and meaningless
without it. Unfortunately, several lives were lost before this was made clear to the
public.

Address: Governor Feliciano Leviste Road, Lipa City 4217, Batangas, Philippines
\\
Telephone Numbers: +63 43 757 5277
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 Needless to say, Hacienda Luisita controversy became a symbolic
representation and has been an ordeal and severe test for the agrarian reform in
the Philippines regarding the issue of land rights between the concern farmers
and the Cojuangcos. It has been a bitter and unbearable struggle for our farmers
as they go on their journey for their right to own a piece of land which represents
the fight for the rights of the Filipino farmers in relation to issues of land
ownership and distribution.

1. What do you understand by land reforms? Agrarian reforms?

 Land Reform is
the relations of
farmers to the
land they work
upon. It also
seeks to bring
about changes in
which land is
owned,cultivation
methods and
relationships of
agriculture with
economy. Its
purposes are for
the means of production, sources of status symbol, social and political
influence and source of wealth and value. Land reforms also involves the
redistribution of land by taking away land from the rich and powerful people
and giving it to the poor and landless farmers.

 On the other hand, Agrarian Reform includes land reform as well as changes
in farm operations, rural credit, training of farmers, marketing of products and
implementation of the latest technology to enhance the productivity of
farmers. Agrarian reform is a broader term. Along with land reforms it also
includes measures to modernize the agricultural practices and improving the
living conditions of entire agrarian population. It also covers the
establishment of co-operatives; development of institutions to provide

Address: Governor Feliciano Leviste Road, Lipa City 4217, Batangas, Philippines
\\
Telephone Numbers: +63 43 757 5277
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 agricultural credit and other inputs; processing and marketing of agricultural
produce; and establishment of ago-based industries etc.

Initiated by governments
to bring changes in the
lives of poor landless
peasants

Land reform alone is Addresses

not sufficient for education or
optimal development training of farmers

Address: Governor Feliciano Leviste Road, Lipa City 4217, Batangas, Philippines
\\
Telephone Numbers: +63 43 757 5277
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 2. How the said event really affects the lives of the Filipinos particularly
in the part of agrarians?

 Farmers are
undeniably among
the most hard
working people in
the country yet they
remain to be the
poorest. For many
Hacienda Luisita
residents, decades
of protest have not
given them the
justice they wanted
to seek. They still
continue despite
those hindrances in
their path, in all the desires and hopes of getting what belongs to them. The
Filipinos, especially the poor farmers who were just asking for a piece of land
which they can call their own were really the most affected in the Hacienda
Luisita Massacre. They were promised to have the land but it's just all
deception (panloloko), violence (pandarahas), and landgrabbing
(pangangamkam ng lupa).

 Farmers of the vast agricultural land condemned to be harassed and violated

their human rights which was committed against them by powerful people
over the years. Filipino farmers have taken it upon themselves to fight for
their rights until the end, risking their own lives resorting to dialogues and
strikes to protest unfair labor practices but of course, there have been several
incidents when their cries for help were met with bullets and other threats to
their lives. What was supposed to be a “peaceful” protest for their rights
turned bloody when police and militaries opened fire at the group which
cause death of seven farmers.

Address: Governor Feliciano Leviste Road, Lipa City 4217, Batangas, Philippines
\\
Telephone Numbers: +63 43 757 5277
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 3. What is the relevance of the said massacre and how is it affects to the
different aspects of society ?( Education, Politics, and Economy)

Education.
 Juancho Sanchez were one of the seven farmers who risk
their lives and died fighting for their rights. He died
at the age of 20, not fulfilling his dream of
becoming a mechanical engineer. He
was already on his third year at the
Tarlac State University when he was
forced to stop schooling to help
augment the family’s income. The
massacre became a hindrance in
not fulfilling those young and old
farmers to continue going to
school and have a formal
education. They tend to wait for the
promised land and if they will be able to received
those, Pastor Gabby Sanchez, father of Juancho Sanchez said that his son
can continue going to college for his better future and to be able to help them
in their daily living. Unfortunately, his son died because of Hacienda Luisita
massacre. Juancho Sanchez is one of the example that this massacre ruined
not only his life, but also the life of other farmers and workers who can
gradually return to school to learn after receiving their justice. They are now
still fighting for their justice.

Politics. Hacienda Luisita's past haunts Noynoy's future

 Hacienda Luisita massacre on November 16, 2004,
were one of the two incidents that represent the
darker side of the Aquino legacy. The struggle
between farmers and landowners of Hacienda
Luisita is now being seen as the first real test of
character of the late President Noynoy Cojuangco
Aquino, whose family has owned the land since
1958. This showed that the problem began when
government lenders obliged the Cojuangcos to
distribute the land to small farmers by1967, a
deadline that came and went. Pressure for land

Address: Governor Feliciano Leviste Road, Lipa City 4217, Batangas, Philippines
\\
Telephone Numbers: +63 43 757 5277
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 reform on Luisita since then reached a bloody head in 2004 when seven
protesters were killed near the gate of the sugar mill in what is now known as
the Hacienda Luisita massacre. This is the story of the hacienda and its
farmers, an issue that is likely to haunt Aquino as he travels the campaign
trail for the May 2010 elections.
 Noynoy Cojuangco Aquino has said he only owns 1% of Hacienda Luisita.
Why is he being dragged into the hacienda’s issues? This is one of the most
common questions asked in the 2010 elections. Aquino promised the
Philippine people a fairer share of the ownership and benefits of the land.
She pledged specifically to use her family estate, the Hacienda Luisita, as a
model for land reform throughout the Philippines.
 The government eventually found that the Cojuangcos had violated the
agreement by failing to share profits with the farmers and ordered that the
land be distributed, said Mr. Pangandaman of the agrarian reform department.
Mr. Cojuangco said the ruling was a politically motivated attack against his
family. They even said that their family company treated the workers well,
providing health care, homes for some, interest-free loans and a guaranteed
minimum wage but the farmers according to the documentary ,said and
provide evidences that they are only receiving 194.50 pesos as their salary
which is actually below minimum wage during their times. That money was
allocated for their deductions and debts, and only 9.50 pesos will be the
remaining money for their survival.

Economy.
 The Filipino people’s economic, social and cultural rights are similarl violated.
The government of Defendant (President
Benigno S. Aquino III) presides over the
highest number of unemployed and underemployed
Filipinos in the country’s history during their time.
On the other hand, in the positive side,
agrarian reform should not only a pathway
out of rural poverty but is extremely
beneficial to the Philippine economy and the
business sector but Hacienda Luisita
Massacre is a different case wherein a lot
of farmers were not receiving proper wage
and can lead to unemployment which has
an impact to the country’e economy.
 Hacienda Luisita has a long list of worker
related abuses, including a massacre in 2004 that killed twelve workers and

Address: Governor Feliciano Leviste Road, Lipa City 4217, Batangas, Philippines
\\
Telephone Numbers: +63 43 757 5277
Website: www.ub.edu.ph
 injured hundreds more, as they picketed for better working conditions. There
should be stoppage on evading labour laws and started treating workers
properly. Everyone deserves a fair wage for their labour. Many workers on this
plantation were promised higher wages that never materialized.Hacienda Luisita
massacre takes advantage of the high unemployment and poverty and tricks
people into slave labour conditions. This must end. With enough global pressure,
we could see real change for these farmers.

Address: Governor Feliciano Leviste Road, Lipa City 4217, Batangas, Philippines
\\
Telephone Numbers: +63 43 757 5277
Website: www.ub.edu.ph