By FRANK FERNANDEZ
Spokesperson, NDFP Negros Island Chapter
For the working classes, Gov. Alfredo Marañon, Jr. as a big compador bourgeoisie – landlord, is the Number One landgrabber, fascist, and corrupt in the Island of Negros. The governor tries, together with his band of trusted Public Relations agents, to intoxicate the public with their propaganda of disinformation, deception, and palliative and superficial accomplishments aimed to cover up his criminal acts of exploiting and oppressing the masses of peasants, farmworkers, fisherfolks and urban poor.
Marañon is highly liable as the mastermind in the merciless landgrabbing of the 147 hectare land and the forcible eviction of the peasants of Brgy. Sta. Rosa, Murcia. Directly and indirectly, Marañon is responsible in the on-going landgrabbing scheme in the Central and Southern Negros and the on-going operation of deception and intimidation, pressuring the peasants and settlers to give up their lands in favor of the oil palm tree, rubber tree, pineapple plantations, commercial reforestation, by dividing and ruling over the indigenous peoples thru the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
With the assurance of Marañon, Rain Trust Corp. and its Ukrainian investors attempt to create an oil palm plantation in the hinterlands of Himamaylan City, Sipalay City, and Candoni.
Marañon also started to aggressively landgrab CARP-covered land, displacing the applicants or CLOA holders. Fisherfolks are demolished and displaced as magnetite mining operates and eco-tourism business flourish in the shorelines of Sagay City, Manapla, E.B. Magalona and Silay City.
Marañon must also pay the wages of farmworkers of Hda. Marañon and its other haciendas. Aside from Marañon’s accountability of non-payment of minimum wages and benefits, Marañon must also pay for his crime of killing and abduction of the leaders and members of the union waging struggle for their rightful and legitimate human rights.
Lately, in connivance with the local government unit of the Municipality of Binalbagan, led by Mayor Emmanuel Aranda and the AFP troops led by Col Jon Aying of the 303rd Bgde. P.A., they met with the people of the hinterland sitios of Binadlan, Hermet and the nearby sitios, all of Brgy. Bi-ao especially the Indigenous Peoples, and announced that people must implement the reforestation project. Nearby, in the town of Tayasan, a mining firm is starting to operate.
In the lowland areas, public lands are surveyed together with some Tagalog-speaking people. According to them, the provincial government will use this land for their projects. This is aside from the targeted land of the province which the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) will purchase for the RPA project.
Del Monte Fresh Produce Phils. has been confirmed to operate in La Castellana and the Dole Phils in the town of Murcia, where Marañon facilitated in favor of these multinational corporations, sacrificing the lives of the peasants.
But these lands are already occupied by the peasants and farm workers.
Landgrabbing and other crimes are committed by Marañon using deception, threats and intimidation and even killing of civilians using the mercenary AFP and the bandits RPA.
Having consolidated thir economic and political power since 1950s, which started in Sagay City, he has in his control how to use and manipulate the civil bureaucracy, military and police including the resources or funds of the reactionary state. He can easily manipulate the AFP, PNP, RPA and even the “pseudo-media” people, DAR, DENR, reactionary court of (in)justice, to serve his interest, his family and his allies.
He’s an expert in manipulating the resources of the government and even denying his share in the P10 billion PDAF scam.
Marañon has become more aggressive as a landgrabber, fascist and corrupt under the Public Private Partnership Program Countrywide Development Program, Greening Program and O’Plan Bayanihan and its Provincial counterpart of “Negros First Agenda”. Marañon sees no more restriction in his drive to further strengthen his power and further wreak havoc on people’s lives and livelihood.
The Negros Occidental Peace and Order Council (POC), Provincial Peace Integration Development Unit (ProvIDU) and Provincial Peace Development Action Team are but instruments under the fascist O’Plan Bayanihan designed to ensure the interest of Marañon and its comprador bourgeoise – landlords allies and the foreign multinational corporations.
On the other hand, the exploited and oppressed peoples are deprived and grabbed of their lives and livelihood. and the environment is destroyed.
The countrysides are inflamed. The peasants cry for social justice echoes. The burning anger of the people against this ruling system will not die down. Like a deluge, the exploited and oppressed peoples’ struggle will surge forward.
