CONCEPTION, Tarlac – The Commission on Human Rights launched an
investigation into the possible human rights violations committed against 90
farmers and land reform advocates here for cultivating a disputed land.
It was here where police arrested two students of St. Louis University and another two of the University of the Philippines Baguio in a hut on June 8.
The students said they were brought to the police station for questioning and allegedly accused by police of being armed communist rebels.
Both student organizations were reportedly members of Kabataan Partylist Cordillera.
A KPC statement said the students were volunteers helping farmer agrarian reform beneficiaries of Barangay Tinag of this town.
It was not known if the students were released at press time.
Meanwhile, CHR Executive Director lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia said, "I had this endorsed already for investigation Monday. We shall be looking into the incident," The CHR's assurance comes after the militant group Karapatan denounced the apprehension of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Barangay Tinang, Concepcion, Tarlac, on June 9.
In a statement, Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay argued the "arbitrary arrests and detention" of the 93 individuals and undue force used against them showed how the Philippine National Police was mobilized to protect the interests of those exerting influence over the land that has been granted to the ARBs for years.
Party-list groups from the Makabayan coalition strongly criticized the arrests of 93 ARBs and advocates and demanded their immediate release.
ARBs in Tinang pursued communal farming activities on June 9 in a small portion of the entire land allotted to them by the Dept. of Agrarian Reform.
According to Makabayan, police disrupted the activity "illegally, unfairly, and forcibly" and detained the ARBs without warrants or charges.
Farmers were driven to cultivate land in order to relieve escalating hunger as food prices continue to rise.
"Silang mga magsasaka na nga ang tinanggalan ng karapatan sa lupa, sila pa ang huhulihin dahil sa paglaban nila (These farmers have already been deprived of their rights on their own land, and now they will be arrested for fighting for what they stand for)," Kabataan party-list Representative-elect Raoul Manuel said.
According to Anakpawis, the farmers of Tinang, Concepcion have been fighting for their land rights for almost three decades due to the concealment of Certificates of Land Ownership Awards, which classify 236 ARBs as "co-owners" of a 200-hectare plot of land under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
This, as the CHR urged the Department of Agrarian Reform to look into the land conflict at Hacienda Tinang in Concepcion, Tarlac.
De Guia's statement came Tuesday as the commission formally started its independent investigation on the possible human rights violations committed against the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention of some 90 farmers who conducted "bungkalan" or cooperative planting in the disputed land using a rotovator last Thursday.
She argued that since the farmers' detention, there were also allegations of physical and mental abuse, inhumane conditions at the detention facility, and red-tagging experienced by the group which prompted the commission and its counterpart in Central Luzon to look into "every aspect" of the allegations of rights violations linked to the said incident.
Militant groups such as Karapatan earlier claimed that seven of the 90 arrested farmers were legitimate agrarian reform beneficiaries of Hacienda Tinang with a certificate of land ownership award title issued in 1995 for the 200-hectare disputed land, and were just waiting for their official installation as the decision was never enforced.
The Philippine National Police, for its part, said the farmers, who destroyed the sugarcane plantation owned by other farmers belonging to Agriculture Cooperative, became unruly and tried to obstruct law enforcers from performing their duties which led to the apprehension.
De Guia expressed optimism the commission's independent investigation in cooperation with the DAR can contribute in achieving greater clarity of the issue, a just and equitable resolution, and greater respect and protection of the rights of all amid clashing claims from the police and farmers.
It was here where police arrested two students of St. Louis University and another two of the University of the Philippines Baguio in a hut on June 8.
The students said they were brought to the police station for questioning and allegedly accused by police of being armed communist rebels.
Both student organizations were reportedly members of Kabataan Partylist Cordillera.
A KPC statement said the students were volunteers helping farmer agrarian reform beneficiaries of Barangay Tinag of this town.
It was not known if the students were released at press time.
Meanwhile, CHR Executive Director lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia said, "I had this endorsed already for investigation Monday. We shall be looking into the incident," The CHR's assurance comes after the militant group Karapatan denounced the apprehension of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Barangay Tinang, Concepcion, Tarlac, on June 9.
In a statement, Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay argued the "arbitrary arrests and detention" of the 93 individuals and undue force used against them showed how the Philippine National Police was mobilized to protect the interests of those exerting influence over the land that has been granted to the ARBs for years.
Party-list groups from the Makabayan coalition strongly criticized the arrests of 93 ARBs and advocates and demanded their immediate release.
ARBs in Tinang pursued communal farming activities on June 9 in a small portion of the entire land allotted to them by the Dept. of Agrarian Reform.
According to Makabayan, police disrupted the activity "illegally, unfairly, and forcibly" and detained the ARBs without warrants or charges.
Farmers were driven to cultivate land in order to relieve escalating hunger as food prices continue to rise.
"Silang mga magsasaka na nga ang tinanggalan ng karapatan sa lupa, sila pa ang huhulihin dahil sa paglaban nila (These farmers have already been deprived of their rights on their own land, and now they will be arrested for fighting for what they stand for)," Kabataan party-list Representative-elect Raoul Manuel said.
According to Anakpawis, the farmers of Tinang, Concepcion have been fighting for their land rights for almost three decades due to the concealment of Certificates of Land Ownership Awards, which classify 236 ARBs as "co-owners" of a 200-hectare plot of land under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
This, as the CHR urged the Department of Agrarian Reform to look into the land conflict at Hacienda Tinang in Concepcion, Tarlac.
De Guia's statement came Tuesday as the commission formally started its independent investigation on the possible human rights violations committed against the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention of some 90 farmers who conducted "bungkalan" or cooperative planting in the disputed land using a rotovator last Thursday.
She argued that since the farmers' detention, there were also allegations of physical and mental abuse, inhumane conditions at the detention facility, and red-tagging experienced by the group which prompted the commission and its counterpart in Central Luzon to look into "every aspect" of the allegations of rights violations linked to the said incident.
Militant groups such as Karapatan earlier claimed that seven of the 90 arrested farmers were legitimate agrarian reform beneficiaries of Hacienda Tinang with a certificate of land ownership award title issued in 1995 for the 200-hectare disputed land, and were just waiting for their official installation as the decision was never enforced.
The Philippine National Police, for its part, said the farmers, who destroyed the sugarcane plantation owned by other farmers belonging to Agriculture Cooperative, became unruly and tried to obstruct law enforcers from performing their duties which led to the apprehension.
De Guia expressed optimism the commission's independent investigation in cooperation with the DAR can contribute in achieving greater clarity of the issue, a just and equitable resolution, and greater respect and protection of the rights of all amid clashing claims from the police and farmers.
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