BACOLOD CITY — The National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW)-Negros and its allied organizations on Monday led the call for justice for the deaths of nine of sugarcane farmers, including two minors, in Sagay City on October 20.
The groups made the call as the police and the military in Negros Occidental ruled out “speculative statements” in the course of the investigation.
The NFSW-Negros, chaired by Rolando Rillo, in a press statement, said they “condemn with all our strength the merciless killing of the nine farmers and the wounding of three others.”
Before they were shot to death on Saturday night, the victims, who were NFSW members, occupied the sugarcane farm owned by Carmen Tolentino at Hacienda Nene, Purok Firetree in Barangay Bulanon in the morning.
The NFSW said the land cultivation or “bungkalan” is their way of resonating the campaign for genuine agrarian reform and free land distribution, adding that the “farmers militantly occupy idle lands and collectively cultivate these lands to make it productive.”
“We vow to continue with much vigor and even bolder resolve to fight for genuine land reform with free distribution of lands to farmers, the dismantling of haciendas, and end to foreign ownerships of lands,” the group added.
In the afternoon after the press conference, their allied organizations, including Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Negros, held a protest-march and noise barrage in Bacolod, which culminated at the Fountain of Justice of the old City Hall.
The nine fatalities were identified as Eglicerio Villegas, Paterno Baron, Rene Laurencio, Rannel Bantigue, Angelife Arsenal, Morena Mendoza, Marcelina Dumaguit, Jomarie Ughayon Jr., and Marchtel Sumicad.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office headed by Senior Supt. Rodolfo Castil Jr., in a statement released on the same day, said the police is “already on top of the situation to identify and bring the suspects to justice.”
The provincial police has formed a Special Investigation Task Group to lead the investigation.
“We rely solely on our investigation based on the statements from the witnesses, from credible sources of information, and from the testimony of the lone survivor to shed light on the incident and not from persons who are trying to create a different story over this tragedy,” Castil said.
He pointed out that “the NFSW and other groups have released speculative statements that did not happen during the commission of the crime.”
“We must remind them about the implication of their actions. These speculative statements will only distort the truth and are not beneficial to the ongoing investigation we are conducting,” the provincial police chief added.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army assailed former Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Neri Colmenares for suggesting that soldiers were responsible for the shooting incident in Sagay City.
“As expected, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is again being blamed by the Reds and their sympathizers for the reported shooting incidents in Sagay City,” said Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division Commander.
Dolina, in a statement, dismissed the allegation that soldiers were involved in the crime.
“We strongly condemn the murder of the sugar farmers. The killing was not committed by soldiers, even Colmenares knows that. Sadly, he has become an expert in pointing the guilty finger on the military,” he added. ( Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
