Personnel of the Center for Land Use Planning and Implementation of the Department of Agrarian Reform National office will conduct a pre-ocular inspection at Hacienda Ilimnan in Brgy. Sta. Rosa, Murcia, soon.

This is to determine whether the area where the Negros First Ranch is located should be covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Officer 2 Maritess Mabunay of the Provincial Agrarian Reform Office said DAR had released a notice covering the area in Hacienda Ilimnan under CARP in 2012.

However, on the same year, the provincial government filed a petition for exemption of coverage before the office of CLUPI after it acquired the property from the Arguilles family, Mabunay said.

She said the exemption is still under evaluation, so the farmers should wait for the results in the meantime.

On Wednesday, about 400 protesting farmers barged into the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol building to hold a dialog with Governor Alfredo Marañon, but tension rose when members of the Philippine National Police and the civilian guards prevented them from enetering.

The protesting farmers fought back with the policemen and the civilian guards and banged the door of the provincial Capitol, temporarily disrupting some offices.

They are demanding that the province return about 101 hectares of land in Hacienda Ilimnan in Murcia town.

John Lozande, secretary general of the National Federation of Sugar Workers-Negros Occidental, said the farmers had filed a petition for Hacienda Ilimnan to be covered under the Compensive Agrarian Reform Program in 1993 yet, but, of the 155 hectares covered by the program, only 54 have been distributed so far.

Lozande said the way the provincial government was able to acquire the Murcia property is also dubious since DAR has already issued a notice so the area will be covered by CARP.

Marañon refused to meet the protesting farmers, saying that the issue has been resolved already and that the area where the ranch is built should not be covered by CARP.

Marañon added that he has other important things to do than having a dialog with the farmers since they had already discussed the matter several times in the past.

He advised the farmers to go directly to DAR so their problem will be resolved.

Provincial Legal Officer Jose Ma. Valencia said the stairway of the Capitol is not the proper venue for the protestors to air their concerns, and the exercise of one’s rights is not absolute.

Valencia said that, because of the protest of the farmers the main door of the Provincial Capitol building was closed and this caused inconvenience to people who had transactions with the offices there.

Valencia also denied the allegations of the farmers that the area where the Negros First ranch is located will be leased by the Dole Philippines who will convert it into a banana plantation.

There are 109 farmers who are yet to take possession of their lots, covering 101 hectares, in Hacienda Ilimnan.

Aside from Hacienda Ilimnan the farmers are also calling for the immediate distribution of the 55-hectare lot to 24 ARBs in Hacienda Arloc also in Murcia.*APN

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