In a disturbing escalation of land disputes, armed goons opened fire and threatened to kill members of the Baybay II Farmers Association in Hacienda Borromeo, Pandacan, Pinamungajan in Cebu. The farmer-tenants, who have been cultivating the lands for several generations, are resisting the landlord’s attempts to forcibly eject them.
“This latest incident in a series of unending violent harassment against farmers highlights the glaring absence of genuine land reform under Marcos Jr. For decades, farmers have been dispossessed and evicted from the lands they are tilling due to land monopoly, with large haciendas like Borromeo owned by a few elite families. These haciendas symbolize a Spanish colonial-era that persists to this day, where vast tracts of agricultural land are concentrated in the hands of landlords, leaving farmer-tillers landless,” according to Nick Abasolo of KMP-Cebu.
The Baybay II Farmers Association stands firm in their resistance, emphasizing that genuine land reform is not just an economic issue but a human right. With generations of labor invested into these lands, they continue to demand security of tenure and land ownership.
The violence in Hacienda Borromeo disputes the claim of DAR 7 that it has completed 90% of land distribution in Central Visayas. There are many more haciendas and private agricultural lands across the region that are subject to acquisition and distribution.
Pinamungahan is one of Cebu’s largest producers of coconut, milkfish and other agri products. It is being developed into a premier agro-industrial center in Central Visayas. Early this year, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia led a groundbreaking ceremony for the “Tourist Service Center and Rest Area” in Barangay Pandacan.
KMP demands the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the shooting incident as they called for an end to the harassment against farmers. For his part, KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos said: “The need for equitable land distribution and protection of tenant rights has never been more urgent as farmers face increasing threats and violence.”
This harassment is the latest in a long history of attacks on farmers asserting land rights across the country. As land monopolies and large haciendas continue to control vast areas of agricultural land, Ramos said the failure to implement genuine land reform remains a source of injustice for peasant communities.
In 2022, private armed goons of the Araneta Properties Inc. owned by presidential brother-in-law Greggy Araneta III opened fire at farmers and land reform advocates who were probing a demolition of farmers’ homes in Sitio Ricafort, Barangay Tungkong Mangga in San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan.
