The Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura lauds the decision of RTC Balayan Judge Carolina de Jesus to dismiss the criminal charges against three farmer-leaders of the Calaca 6, namely, Marcelo Vidal, July Jolongbayan, and Doroteo Bautista, who were illegally arrested last May 10 in Brgy. Coral ni Lopez, Calaca, Batangas over planted evidence.
Calaca 6 is legally represented by the Sentro para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo or SENTRA, a non-government organization that provides free legal service to farmers, fisherfolks, and indigenous people. It is also the legal counsel of the Samahan ng Magsasaka sa Coral ni Lopez (SAMACOLO), where most of Calaca 6 serve as leaders, and have a land dispute with the Lopez family.
Earlier this year, the Department of Agrarian Reform issued an order denying the Lopez Family’s move to cancel SAMACOLO’s Certificate of Land Ownership Award.
According to UMA National Chairperson, Antonio “Ka Tonying” Flores, “This court decision exposes the tyrannical hand of the state through its Synchronized Enhanced Military and Police Operations (SEMPO) who come to farmer’s homes through force and intimidation, plant evidence, and conduct mass arrests or murder akin to Negros Oplan Sauron led by current NCRPO Chief Debold Sinas in 2018 to 2019. We hope that illegal charges against the other members of Calaca 6, Leovino Jolongbayan, Virgilio Vidal, and Roilan Tenorio, are equally junked.”
The court decision declared the search warrant used in Calaca 6 as invalid. The SW was issued by RTC Judge Cynthia R. Mariño-Ricablanca on May 7 of the Sta. Cruz, Laguna Branch, dubbed as “evil judge” for issuing questionable warrants used against farmer leaders and activists in Southern Tagalog.
Judge De Jesus found that RTC Sta. Cruz did not have sufficient basis to issue a search warrant already outside its jurisdiction. Consequently, the search warrant was quashed rendering the police and military planted evidence of guns, ammunition and explosive devices inadmissible evidence.
The mass arrest of Calaca 6 happened even before Duterte’s Terror Act was signed to law. Many sectors, especially the peasantry, are wary that cases of human rights violations will further escalate as the law is used to criminalize activism and political dissent.
“How could the Duterte administration expect us to not fear for our fellow farmers and agriworkers once his terror law is implemented when massacres, mass arrests, surveillance, harassment and various human rights violations are already happening in the whole country even before it was enacted? A case in point is Calaca 6,” said Flores.
“The court decision is a win for farmers but who pays for the crime of illegally putting them behind bars for almost two months when they could be supporting their family, especially during this pandemic crisis worsened by Duterte’s militarist response? Who is to be held accountable for the women and children still traumatized as armed men forcibly entered their homes in the wee hours of the morning and held their loved ones at gunpoint?”
“We will hear more of these kinds of stories once the Terror Law is in full implementation. The courts cannot give back the time lost in jail while farmers’ families suffer desperately making ends meet. And especially not the lives lost when police and military act as Gods who kill farmers like chickens who can now declare it as a war against terrorists after its failed war against drugs.”
Flores ended, “This is a small win, but a victory of the people. We have a greater battle ahead. We will not bend or cower to Duterte’s maniacal schemes. Thus, we enjoin everyone to make your voices heard at the protest action on July 11 at the Commission on Human Rights.”
UMA Pilipinas 