Outgoing Senator Francis ‘’Kiko’’ Pangilinan on Friday, June 10 asked the government to free the farmers and peasant advocates who were arrested in Concepcion, Tarlac yesterday.
Inquest proceedings on the charge of malicious mischief and obstruction of justice slapped against the 87 farmers and advocates were expected to be conducted today, the 34th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
‘’Hindi kasalanan ang magbungkal ng lupa (It is not illegal to cultivate the land). Higit na kailangan natin ngayon ang mga magsasaka dahil sa napipintong food crisis, o ang kawalan ng supply at pagtaas ng presyo ng pagkain (Farmers need to till the land because of the feared food crisis and increase in the prices of food),’’ Pangilinan said.
‘’Nakikipag-ugnayan na ang aming mga abogado sa mga magsasaka at sa kanilang supporters, kabilang na ang artist na gumuhit ng aking children’s book na si Ara Villena, para sa kanilang ligal na pangangailangan (My lawyers have met with the farmers and their supporters, including artist Are Villena),’’ he added.
The activists, cultural workers, and agrarian reform beneficiaries were doing 'bungkalan' — cultivation work — on a piece of disputed land in Hacienda Tinang in Concepcion, Tarlac when they were ‘’visited’’ by police officers.
Farmers with local group Makisama-Tinang which represents agrarian reform beneficiaries said that a Certificate of Land Ownership Award title for the 200-hectare disputed land has already been awarded to 236 CARP beneficiaries since 1995 but claimed that the latter was hidden from them.