The reactionary government officially recognized ownership by 90 farmers belonging to the Malayang Kilusang Samahan ng mga Magsasaka ng Tinang (Makisama-Tinang) of the 68 hectares of land in Hacienda Tinang in Concepcion, Tarlac on May 8. This is the result of a three-decade struggle for the land and the relaunching of their land recovery campaign in the form of bungkalan (collective land cultivation) on June 2022.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) awarded the Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to the Tinang people after several revocations amid many protests, dialogues and camp-outs.

“We succeeded because of our collective actions to advance our rights and fight for justice. Without our unity and assertion, our right would not have been given voluntarily despite the justness of our demand. We really have to fight for it,” according to Alvin Dimarucut, chairman of Makisama-Tinang.

While being awarded their full land title, the 90 Makisama-Tinang farmers also demanded the dismissal of all cases filed against Tinang 83 such as obstruction of justice, usurpation of property rights, human trafficking, and child exploitation. The Tinang 83 are farmers and their supporters who were arrested while launching their bungkalan in June 2022.