Farmers urged Mar Roxas to stop Araneta landgrabbing and displacement

Protest at Araneta Makati office
Farmers urged Mar Roxas to stop Araneta landgrabbing and displacement

Farmers from Bgy. Tungkong Mangga, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan staged a protest at the office of Araneta Properties, Inc. in Makati against the latter’s landgrabbing and displacement efforts. Leaders and members of Tungkong Mangga Upland Farmers Association, Inc. (TMUFAI), San Isidro Samahang Sandigan ng Magsasaka (SASAMAG), Samahan ng Magsasaka sa Sitio Dalandanan (SAMAGDA) and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) called on vice-presidential candidate Mar Roxas to act on his relatives harassments and displacement of farmers at the said area.

The groups said that the 200-hectare agricultural land covering their farms is the site of the inter-modal station of the MRT 7 project. The Aranetas have started displacing farmers by filing unlawful detainer charges, particularly in Sitio Dalandanan. They have demolished 16 houses last November and presently they are threatening another 12 farming families. The farmers vowed to oppose succeeding efforts of Araneta family, some have been cultivating the lands for 30 to 40 years.

“We call on vice-presidential candidate Mar Roxas to stop his kin from displacing farmers. We dare him not to establish his own Kamag-anak, Inc. like Noynoy Aquino and prove that he is for the people like what he shows in his political advertisements,” said Wilfredo Marbella, KMP Deputy Secretary-General said at the protest.

“The lands at Tungkong Mangga is not owned by the Aranetas as they have been foreclosed by Manila Banking Corp. during the Marcos’ dictatorship, who then, used it as collateral to acquire loans from the Central Bank. During the Aquino government, MBC was sequestered as it was owned by Marcos cronies and used ill-gotten wealth on its business. Generally, the lands were paid for the Aranetas by public funds, thus, should be subjected by land reform,” said Marbella.

In 1998, DAR has been preparing for the issuance of Cert. of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) to the farmers when the Aranetas have filed petition for exemption. Until now, it has not been processed and currently on the discretion of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC).

The Gregorio Araneta Inc. is now represented by Gregorio “Greggy” Araneta III, the son-in-law of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos being married to Irene Marcos. They are also relatives of vice-presidential candidate Mar Roxas of the J. Amado Araneta lineage. Moreover, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo is of the clan of Jesus Araneta Lacson de Arroyo of Negros.

“Mar Roxas’ relatives are cashing in the lands as San Miguel Corp., SM Dev’t Corp and Universal LRT Corp. are planning another Araneta Center in Tungkong Mangga, composed of a train station, commercial and residential establishments and bus terminal. This is the first stop of our series of protest,” Marbella said.

“We do not necessarily oppose the MRT 7 project but we call that it should not be used to displace farmers. They should place it to another location and not unto farms and be converted. Mar Roxas should do what his promising on his ads and stop doing lip-service,” Marbella said. #