Twenty seven (27) farmer beneficiaries in Barangays Valencia and Cagbuhangin, Ormoc City recently suffered harassment and human rights violation when personnel of H. Serafica and Sons Corporation (HSSC), attempted to evict them by using tractors and policemen recently.
Fourteen (14) years after being covered by CARP reform and five years of waiting to be installed in the contested land, farmers of Valencia Small Farmers Association (VASFA) asserted their right to the land and planted bananas, karlang (a kind of rootcrop), and corn on March 24, 2008.
Nitoy Sarenas, a member of VASFA remarked: "Why do farmers have to suffer with the continued delay of land transfer? We have fully paid the amortization of this land and yet DAR did not install us in our awarded land."
On April 1, however, HSSC personnel brought tractors and destroyed 200 trunks of bananas, 200 karlang and 26 scoops of corn that the farmers planted as well as the bamboo fences that the latter erected. Meanwhile, a truck of policemen arrived in the area with supposed orders from the Mayor to "maintain peace and order".
"What happened to us is like a concerted effort by the local government, police and the landowner to deny us our right to our land. The barangay even refused to record the incident when we reported what happened", Sarenas added.
The said land was formerly owned by Norma Serafica and was covered by CARP in 1994. Prior to this, the lot was rented by HSSC but the contract already expired in 1991. The farmers were eventually awarded with CLOA in 2003 after paying amortizations to the Land Bank of the Philippines. In April 2007, however, the Agrarian Reform officer in Ormoc City, Ms. Pacita David, informed the farmers that there will be a delay in their land occupation of the area as the HSSC has spent much capital for the sugarcane plantation in the land.
The farmers as of this day are appealing their case to the DAR Special Concerns Office in Ormoc City. The case only shows that human rights violations continues to rage in the area of agrarian reform where almost always the farmer beneficiaries and former land owners are at odds due to complexities of land transfer and implementing the rule of law. Sarenas has called on the police and the government to respect their CLOAs and recognize their full ownership over the awarded land.
The farmers have expressed their readiness and determination to pursue the case and face the legal battle ahead. Another farmer, Antonio Oteda said "We are prepared for this, we have evidences to support our case and we will file counter charges. It is high time that social justice be served to us small farmers, we are more than ready to face our battle for land, our battle for life" he ended.
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