With DAR, SolGen actions, Aquino trying to fool the people again – KMU

“Pres. Aquino is trying to fool the Filipino people again.”

This was labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno’s reaction to deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte’s statement that Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III is aware that the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Office of the Solicitor-General are planning to appeal the Supreme Court ruling on Hacienda Luisita.

“Pres. Aquino is lying when he tries to show that he is allowing agencies under his government to appeal the SC ruling on Luisita. He wants to make it appear that his government is pro-farmer while it is implementing the most anti-farmer of policies. If he really wants to distribute the Luisita lands to farmer-beneficiaries, there is only one thing that he should do: make it happen – now,” said Lito Ustarez, KMU vice-chairperson.

“In a desperate effort to preserve his family’s ownership of Luisita, Pres. Aquino is piling lie after lie on the issue. Had he been Pinocchio, he would not be able to drive his BMW because his nose would have been as long as the sugar canes in Luisita,” he added.

KMU said the latest statement from Malacañang is only the latest in the long string of lies that the president made on the issue.

“When he was still running for president, Noynoy said he owns only a small portion of the hacienda. Not long after, he promised to distribute the Luisita lands to farmer-beneficiaries by 2014,” Ustarez said.

“Shortly after being elected president, he said he did not have a hand in his family’s decision to hold a referendum. Then, after using his power to influence the Supreme Court to rule in favor of holding another referendum, he said he is out of the issue,” he added.

The labor leader said the president’s lies on the issue of Hacienda Luisita are proof that Aquino should be trusted on the basic economic issues of the people.

“We cannot trust a president who made a show of increasing wages before approving a meager Cost of Living Allowance. We cannot trust a president who made a show of imposing a moratorium on the demolition of urban poor communities before implementing the most brutal demolition campaigns,” Ustarez said.