The thugs of Hacienda Borromeo repeatedly opened fire at and threatened to kill the farmers they were evicting on September 23 in Barangay Pandacan, Pinamungahan, Cebu. Farmer-tenants belonging to the Baybay II Farmers Association are resisting their eviction. They have been farming in the hacienda for several generations.

Nick Abasolo of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)-Cebu said this incident proves the continued absence of genuine land reform in the country. It also belies the Department of Agrarian Reform Region 7’s claim of having completed 90% of its land distribution in Central Visayas.

“For decades, farmers have been dispossessed and evicted from the lands they till due to land monopoly, with large haciendas like Borromeo owned by a few elite families,” Abasalo said.

In this regard, Danilo Ramos (Ka Daning), chairman of the KMP and senatorial candidate of the Koalisyong Makabayan, stressed that the need for equitable land distribution and protection of tenant rights has never been more urgent.