The Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid (PKM)-Negros commemorates all the victims of Oplan Sauron 1 or the Synchronized Enhanced Managing of Police Operation (SEMPO) on December 27, 2018, where six farmers were shot to death in the guise of “nanlaban” in Guihulngan City and jailed 50 more individuals from different towns of Negros Oriental.

On the third year of this tragedy, PKM-Negros continues to demand justice for the Guihulngan 6 and for all the victims of fascist and feudal violence under Duterte’s reign of terror.

These atrocious crimes perpetrated with impunity proves the regime’s complete disregard for human rights and Duterte’s utter failure to protect and ensure the rights of Negrosanon farmers.

This tokhang-style killing spree of the Duterte regime came after Negros, along with Samar and Bicol, was placed under Memorandum Order 32 upon Duterte’s declaration that the Island is in a “state of lawless violence.” Also, Executive Order 70, known as the “whole of nation approach,” followed wherein civilian authority and other stakeholders were placed under military control. The whole country was placed under a de facto martial law ever since.

Negros Island remains as the hacienda capital of the country with hundreds of thousands of hectares of agricultural lands monopolized by a few hacienderos and big comprador-landlords. Under the Duterte regime, instead of land distribution, Negrosanons have only experienced bloodshed and atrocities.

Marking this bloody day especially among Negrosanon farmers, PKM-Negros vows to courageously wage all forms of struggle in order to seek justice for all the victims of human rights violation and make Duterte accountable for all heinous crimes committed by his regime against the Filipino people.

Now more than ever, PKM-Negros is determined to carry forward the agrarian revolution until genuine land reform is fully realized. With the New People’s Army, it will continue to wage armed struggle and sow seeds of the people’s democratic government until the centuries of oppression and exploitation perpetrated by hacienderos and big comprador-landlords is put to an end.###