by KMP Information Department
MANILA, Philippines- Militant farmers today called on the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to immediately stop the continuing conversion of the controversial Hacienda Looc in the town of Nasugbu by real estate giant SM Land owned by tycoon Henry Sy into a world-class tourism and leisure destination.
The peasant groups Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the Ugnayan ng mga Mamamayan Laban sa Pangwawasak ng Kalupaan ng Hacienda Looc (Umalpas-Ka) accused DAR officials and SM Land of collusion to evict farmer-beneficiaries from the more than 8,650 hectare lands.
“The DAR and SM Land are obviously in collusion with each other to evict farmers and push through with the anti-people Hamilo Coast project in Hacienda Looc,” says Umalpas-Ka spokesperson Armando Lemita.
Lemita said that during their “dialogue with the DAR last Tuesday, officials failed to present any conversion order” and that “SM Land has arbitrarily converted more than 200-hectares of the contested lands for the Hamilo Coast land development project.”
“The DAR allowed SM Land to grab our lands,” Lemita said.
In 1990, the DAR granted a collective certificate of land ownership award (CLOA) and emancipation patents (EPs) to farmers over Hacienda Looc under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). After several years, the DAR cancelled the certificates after the government’s Assets Privatization Trust (APT) sold the whole Hacienda to Manila Southcoast Development Corp. (MSDC) which also under the SM Group of Companies and give way to an ecotourism zone.
KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos said “DAR officials are fully aware that Hacienda Looc is a contested land and that the fraudulent cancellation of their certificates is not equivalent to a conversion order.”
“SM Land’s continuing land-use conversion and eviction of farmers in Hacienda Looc clearly shows that the sham CARP is useless in defending farmers’ rights,” says Ramos.
“The DAR should immediately stop SM Land from deceiving and evicting farmers,” says Ramos.
According to SM Land, Hamilo Coast is its premier, sustainable leisure destination in Nasugbu, Batangas. It is a 5,800 hectare property with 13 natural coves, 25 kilometers of pristine beachfront; forests, mountains, limestone cliffs, and rock formations.
The KMP and Umalpas-Ka also announced that more than 100 farmers from Hacienda Looc will start a three-day camp-out before the DAR tomorrow to demand officials to issue a “cease and desist order” against what the group described as “SM Land’s illegal conversion.” #