Members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers yesterday warned that they will forcibly occupy Hacienda Ilimnan in Murcia town, Negros Occidental, where the provincial government-run ranch is located. John Lozande, NFSW secretary general, said in a statement sent to DAILY STAR, that they are giving the Department of Agrarian Reform until the end of the month to resolve whether the land is covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program or not.

Lozande said that while they welcome the assurance of DAR Assistant Secretary Teofilo Inocencio of the swift resolution of the issue, they are also wondering why did the agency waited for them to hold a protest before acting on the farmers' concerns.

Lozande added that aside from Hacienda Ilimnan, NFSW will also forcibly occupy Hacienda Arloc in Murcia if DAR fails to distribute the land intended for the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries.

NFSW filed a petition for Hacienda Ilimnan to be covered by the CARP in 1993 yet, but, of the 155 hectares covered, only 54 have been distributed so far.

Maritess Mabunay, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer for northern Negros Occidental had earlier appealed to NFSW to wait for the evaluation report of the Center for Land Use Planning and Implementation of the DAR national office.

Mabunay had explained that although DAR released a notice covering the area in Hacienda Ilimnan under CARP in 2012, the provincial government has filed a petition for exemption from coverage on the same year, and CLUPI has not resolved the petition yet.*APN

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