‘Before Maguindanao massacre was Luisita’; KMU, C. Luzon activists slam military’s massacre of Luisita workers in DND picket

Before the Maguindanao massacre was the massacre of seven striking farm workers in Hacienda Luisita on Nov. 16, 2004, both cases of which left Gloria Arroyo’s hand bloody.

Kilusang Mayo Uno said the brutal dispersal of farmers and farm workers by the combined force of military and police in the Cojuangco-owned estate in Tarlac is a “landmark human rights case that shows the climate of impunity under Arroyo, which was further accentuated by the recent horrendous massacre of 57 people.”

“The Arroyo government’s failure to serve justice to the victims of the Hacienda Luisita massacre hints at how slow-paced justice will be served to the victims of the Maguindanao massacre. How could the wheels of justice run smoothly if the government has a hand in both of these killings?” said Roger Soluta, KMU secretary general.

In a picket at the Department of National Defense, KMU joined Central Luzon activists in condemning the armed forces’ bloody dispersal of Luisita farm workers and in calling for justice for all victims of state-sponsored killings.

“Luisita , being a notable case of direct military involvement, was supposedly a litmus test for Arroyo’s political will to order the prosecution of government forces. It was a test which she obviously failed, as culprits remain on the loose five years after the crime, while troops are still stationed in Luisita,” he added.

Soluta said the gunfire during the dispersal in Luisita was unleashed by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), whose deployment to the estate was licensed by the labor department’s Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) order. Meanwhile, government liability in the Maguindanao massacre was proven with the discovery of hundreds of firearms and ammunition belonging to the defense department and the AFP.

“We condemn the mercenary armed forces for being the prime accomplice of this terrorist regime in carrying out the massacre in Luisita and other grave attacks on the basic rights of the people,” said Soluta.

 “As we remember the death of our comrades in Luisita, we are reminding the armed forces of its gross liability for all other cases of killings, harassment and intimidation of government critics. They may succeed in evading charges in courts, but they will never evade the wrath of the people.

“Likewise, we remind Arroyo that workers and the people are poised to assert justice for all her victims by putting her in jail. The people know that Arroyo’s prosecution has no substitute given her countless crimes against the people,” Soluta added. #