DUMAGUETE CITY – The provincial head of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Oriental on Thursday said he will investigate further the circumstances surrounding the deaths of four farmers in Barangay Napacao, Siaton on Wednesday.
Another farmer was injured in the daytime shooting allegedly by security guards of the landholdings of Don Gaspar Vicente in Napacao.
Five armed men, believed to be security guards of the Vicente estate, were arrested on suspicion of having allegedly shot the victims at close range and had also allegedly lobbed a hand grenade that exploded.
Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer, lawyer Louie Naranjo, in a telephone interview Thursday, said he couldn’t give additional details yet other than what the Philippine National Police (PNP) had already initially reported on the incident until he could personally look into the status of the landholding or landholdings in question.
Also, he said he has directed the municipal agrarian reform officer of Siaton to submit a report, gather evidence and dig up documents relevant to the incident that needs DAR intervention.
Naranjo explained that he has to review the status of the lands owned by Vicente in Napacao, to determine which among them was the subject of the conflict that led to Wednesday’s gruesome killings.
The lawyer disclosed that the Vicentes have three landholdings in the area that are being covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Naranjo also emphasized that he still has to ascertain whether these petitioners are included in the inclusion/exclusion cases filed at his office.
He said he was surprised to learn of the violence that erupted in Napacao on Wednesday because there was a meeting about two weeks ago at the Siaton police station with the petitioners of the Vicente landholding.
According to him, it was his belief that “it was a fruitful dialogue” because the agreement was that there would be a “cease and desist” and “respect” in the meantime. In fact, it was agreed that the proceeds from the harvest of sugarcane be deposited in the court pending the resolution of the petition.
Present during that meeting were Naranjo, the petitioners, and the police, but the landowners who were asked to attend did not come, the DAR officer said.
Naranjo was also looking for the Ilonggo-speaking leaders of the petitioners but they were not present in the meeting. (Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA)
