Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — After more than 10 years of fighting for parts of Hacienda Matias in Quezon Province, agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Bondoc Peninsula (KMBP) can now call the land they till their own.
“The barriers to agrarian reform in Hacienda Matias are now gone. The farmers finally won the battle. The government did what was needed to be done — give the land to the tiller, said National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary Joel Rocamora.
Patches of what used to be known as Hacienda Matias were officially turned over to ARBs on Thursday (July 2).
Members of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and other government agencies assisted the farmers as they tore down the cemented walls and steel gates that once hindered them from entering the property.
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According to the NAPC, human barricades and armed guards were ushered out of the premises before the installation of the ARBs. The Philippine National Police (PNP) has also served warrants of arrest against a barangay official and other individuals for allegedly harassing the farmers.
The PNP, meanwhile, will continue to monitor the 1,715-hectare property and the farmers who now occupy the space.
KMBP head Maribel Luzara expressed her glee and gratitude, citing that farmers like her can now protect their right to harvest their own crops and earn from these without having to give a percentage of their income to their landlords.
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“Labis ang aming tuwa dahil napagtagumapayan namin and laban na ito. Ngayon malaya na kaming makakapagbungkal, makakapag-harvest, at makakapagtinda sa ibang traders,” Luzara said.
[Translation: “We are overjoyed because we won this battle. We are now free to cultivate our lands, harvest our crops, and sell to other traders.”]
