Saturday, September 29, 2007 Saga in Malaga ends; peace, progress seen By Ma. Ester L. Espina
After 11 years, farmhands in Malaga happy to have a solution to feuding
Task Force Mapalad farmers didn’t attend MOA signing but hailed the agreement
One of negotiators hopes peace will finally reign in Malaga
LA CASTELLANA -- After more than 11 years of agrarian-related violence, dubbed as the most difficult agrarian case in Negros Occidental, the Hacienda Velez-Malaga saga finally comes to an end with the formal signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Thursday morning at the La Castellana town hall.
Agrarian Secretary Nasser Pangandaman came to witness the signing of the agreement that everyone hopes will lead to the attainment of peace in Hacienda Malaga where countless of lives and resources were lost through the years.
However, to the chagrin of local officials, members of the militant Task Force Mapalad failed to show up during the thanksgiving mass and the official signing of the MOA, putting into question the sincerity of the farmers’ group in wanting to attain peace in the farm.
Observers noted the absence of TFM representatives who opted to have their own celebration at the disputed farm to honor their dead, as claimed by their organizer, Lani Factor, who added they had no intention to disrespect the proceedings but had planned a different program.
Gregorio Paclibar who was the acknowledged representative of TFM was fetched from the sight by DAR local officials but they were told that he could not be found.
Many spectators, including local officials, could not help but comment that their absence was “an insult” to Pangandaman and the agreement and questions their sincerity to work and live in harmony with members of the Hacienda Malaga Multi-Purpose Cooperative who were allied with management.
Even Fr. Rolando Nueva, social action center director of the Diocese of Kabankalan, could not help but express disappointment over the seemingly intentional absence of TFM members.
Asked for his reaction, Nueva said, “I too, am trying to understand why they are not here.”
Nueva, along with Kabankalan Bishop Patricio Buzon, former presidential adviser and now Sugar Regulatory Administrator Rafael Coscolluela and La Castellana Mayor Alberto Nicor, was part of the negotiating body who worked out a win-win solution in the last six months
In his message, Nueva said this should be the start of “a healing process,” adding, “it would have been better if the TFM were here so we can celebrate us one.”
Nueva also challenged all sectors to overcome the “widespread distrust” and continues to “hope that we can now start the process of reviving trust by helping each other.”
The MOA allows the cancellation and re-issuance of new CLOAs giving members of the management cooperative a total of 178 hectares while TFM gets a total of 96.7 hectares for their 103 members.
TFM also got a total of 437,000 in cash from Cuenca as part of the agreement giving the group P10,000 per hectare for the 43.7 hectares that was swapped between the parties. Cuenca’s lawyer, Mario Diaz, along with Pangandaman and other local officials, brought the money to the TFM area after they failed to show up at the gathering.
Meanwhile, Coscolluela said he hopes both parties will manage their farms well and serve as models of success of the agrarian reform program.
He admitted they went through a difficult task of looking for a “win-win solution” as directed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and “there were times when we thought there was no hope but finally we were able to find an opening to solve this problem.”
Coscolluela however added that “this is merely the first step,” and challenged DAR to ensure and make available all resources, both technical and support services, so that both groups can succeed as “this will be a test of whether the agrarian program is a successful or failed program from the very start.”
Pagandaman also admitted that the success of the negotiation must be credited to the local stakeholders, particularly the Church, for being prime-movers to ensure that peace does finally reign in Malaga.
He said he will not argue the point raised by Gov. Joseph Maranon that a peaceful solution can be readily found if all local stakeholders, particularly the local government units, are involved in the process.
