Apart from Cojuangcos, Arroyo guilty for Luisita massacre

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should be held criminally liable for the brutal dispersal of striking farmworkers in Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac which left seven dead, labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno insisted on today’s commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the infamous massacre.

KMU said Arroyo, a close ally of the Cojuangcos until the Hello Garci controversy broke out in 2005, used the labor department’s Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ ) order in cooperation with then-Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas to deploy thousands of military and police troops to the 6,453-hectare Cojuangco estate and the eventual shooting spree on Nov. 16, 2004.

“The brutal massacre of workers in Luisita is undeniably a grave point for prosecuting Arroyo even before her term expires in 2010. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, she was at the helm of military’s moves during the massacre, apart from giving the green sign for the AJ order. She can never wash her bloody hands on the issue, much less bury the case before the next administration takes over,” said KMU executive vice president Joselito “Lito” Ustarez.

“Arroyo even ordered the deployment of fresh troops to Luisita a day after the massacre to supposedly ‘maintain peace and order.’ Yet what followed was a series of arrests and killings of activists and supporters of the strike, bolstering her criminal responsibilty for the bloody attacks against Luisita peasants and workers,” added Ustarez.

Members of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union and United Luisita Workers Union linked arms to launch a strike on Nov. 6, 2004 against the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) scheme, which is being used by the Cojuangcos to deprive farmers of their land and farm workers of their fair share in the Hacienda Luisita Inc.’s earnings.

Ustarez also called for the prosecution of former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. and then-officials of the army’s Northern Luzon Command, which served as guardhouse for the Cojuangco estate for years. 

“Instead of urging the Cojuangcos to heed the demands of strikers, the Arroyo regime tapped the brute force of the military to attack the legimitate strike and groundswell of people’s protest in Hacienda Luisita, clearly highlighting how the government sides with landlords against the people,” he said.

Ustarez said KMU, together with other progressive groups, will make sure that justice will be served to the victims and their families by ensuring that Arroyo goes to jail as soon as she steps down in 2010. #