June 8, 2000, The Philippine Star, Violent dispersal at DAR denounced, by Jose Rodel Clapano,

June 8, 2000, The Philippine Star, Violent dispersal at DAR denounced, by Jose Rodel Clapano,

An lawmaker vowed yesterday to initiate a congressional investigation into the "violent dispersal" late Tuesday afternoon of 15 landless farmers who had chained themselves to the metal panels of a photo exhibit at the first floor of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) office in Quezon City. 

In a press conference, Quezon Rep. Wigberto Tañada also lambasted DAR officials and their armed security guards for not using "maximum tolerance" on the farmers who were just "expressing their legitimate grievances." "If there is substantial evidence showing such acts, I will personally call for an inquiry to investigate the matter as soon as possible," Tañada said. 

The 15 farmers led by Gregorio Paclibar decided on Tuesday to chain themselves to the metal frames of a photo exhibit at the DAR lobby to make DAR officials listen and act on their land claims. 

But on orders of DAR officials, eight DAR security guards dispersed Paclibar's group at exactly 5 p.m., per the agency's standing policy of ridding the DAR's office of "unauthorized persons" at that time. 

DAR's public affairs director Danilo Consumido explained that the security guards had to disperse the farmers since the structures used for the photo exhibit to which they chained themselves, were only rented by the agency. 

Paclibar and the 14 other farmers who chained themselves are representatives of farmer-beneficiary organizations from the private estates of Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr., in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental; Roberto Cuenca, in La Castellana, Negros Occidental; Manuel Uy Ekleong, in Catanauan, Quezon; Ramon Locsin, in President Roxas, Capiz, and Norberto Quisumbing in Sumilao, Bukidnon. 

"We are already tired of dialogues, negotiations, DAR memos and other processes, Leonisa dela Cruz, president of the Hacienda Sto. Nino Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multipurpose cooperative said.