NEWS | Tarlac police arrested over 93 farmers, advocates, and students over a land dispute issue
By John Florentino Perez
Over 93 farmers, advocates, volunteers, and students, who took part in a land cultivation activity, were arrested by the police in Concepcion, Tarlac yesterday, June 9. Among them are three students from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of the Philippines Manila.
Tarlac Police public information officer Jenny Tolentino said that the farmers who are claiming the Hacienda Tinang do not have the legal papers to support their claims on the disputed land issue.
Tolentino added that they exercised maximum tolerance towards the farmers and volunteers but decided to use force due to their ‘unruly’ behavior.
“Pinapakiusapan sila ng pulis na tumigil muna, sa halip na tumigil, nagkaroon ng gulo at naging unruly sila,” Tolentino explained.
Lawyer from Sentro para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentro), Atty. Jobert Pahilga, said the filed charges against the 93 arrested were malicious mischief, resistance, disobedience, and obstruction of justice.
According to urban poor organization Kadamay, the 93 individuals arrested were having a “bungkalan” or a land cultivation activity as a protest and solidarity over the issue of peasants’ unclaimed land that was promised to them by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in 1995.
Consequently, Kadamay and Karapatan expressed their frustrations, saying that the arbitrary arrest done by the police forces was not justifiable. They claimed that the arrest was said to be an action to protect only the interest of those who exert influence over the land, which has been granted to the farmers under the Agrarian Reform.
Furthermore, Anakpawis said that the disputed 200-hectare land of Hacienda Tinang, was already awarded to the Tinang Farmers. In 2018, the DAR proclaimed the farmers as legitimate recipients of the land by awarding them the Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA). However, as of writing, the legitimacy of their ownership is still not imposed.
The 93 arrested are currently under the Concepcion Municipal Police Station and they are currently under legal inquest.
