Beyond the 6435 hectares

I like the people there. They are well mannered. Friendly and hardworking. The whole barangay is like a one huge family, they know each other and help other. Even though life was hard for them they still gave us their harvest. We even experienced harvesting rice, it was fun but tiring. It was like Harvest Moon in real life. The whole experience was fun minus the heat of the sun.

by Nikita Lim

I did experience life in Hacienda Luisita when we visited them early this year and slept their overnight. The condition was very bare and very poor which is consistent with most farms that I have visited like the once in Pangasinan which is our province. In spite of the poor condition, the people remain content with what they have and make do with their limited resources.

Anonymous asked: how did all of these started?

The struggle between farmers and landowners of Hacienda Luisita is now being seen as the first real test of character of presidential candidate Noynoy Cojuangco Aquino, whose family has owned the land since 1958. Our research shows that the problem began when government lenders obliged the Cojuangcos to distribute the land to small farmers by1967, a deadline that came and went. Pressure for land reform on Luisita since then reached a bloody head in 2004 when seven protesters were killed outside of the plantation’s gates in what is now known as the Luisita massacre. This is the story of the hacienda and its farmers, an issue that is likely to haunt Aquino as he travels the campaign trail for the May 2010 elections.

SOURCE: http://ricelander.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/the-story-of-hacienda-luisita/

more stories:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/198854/holding-on-a-hacienda-luisita-timeline-from-the-spanish-to-the-noynoy-eras

Anonymous asked: BEEN THERE. I PROUDLY SUPPORT HACIENDA LUISITA\m/

Thank you very much! God Bless you!

Noong nagseat in ako sa NSTP niyo at noong nagsalita ang prof, nagulat ako sa sinabi niyang mas malaki pa sa pinagsama ng makati at QC ang lupa sa hacienda luisita, tinanong niya pa nga ako eh ang sabi niya “pogi sa tingin mo ba makatao ang pagmaymagaari ng ganon kalaking lupa?” Ang sabi ko naman “Hindi po sir sobra sobra po un” Sabi ko nga k lou at stan grabe ang lawak naman. Pero sa totoo lang naiingit ako sa pagpunta niyo sa hacienda kasi gustong gusto ko talaga un NSTP niyo.Super nagulat din ako ng kapwa pinoy natin ang nagsisirahan dahil lang sa pera para mabuhay ng maayos. by the way tama un sinabi ng prof niyo eh andun narin naman kayo sana binigay niyo na ang best niyo kasi wala na rin kayong magagawa pa.

A reflection on my experience in Hacienda Luisita

Just this Friday, my friend invited me to watch his band play for a benefit concert raised by students from a different section for Hacienda Luisita. It’s been almost a month since we’ve been there. While I was on the event, I remembered our 2 day stay in the place.

Life isn’t easy for them. They wake up in the dusk, cook their breakfast with only the use of coils and wood and then they walk 4km just to go to the place where they’ll get their earnings—-the farm. It’s a really long walk. Imagine walking underneath the sun everyday to work for something that you don’t get much from. I don’t think its fulfilling but the farmers don’t have a choice but to do so because its one of the few sources of their living. 

My group mates and I stayed in a house where in 10 people are living and we’re 10 in the group. The first thing I looked for was the bathroom because I wanted to know how am I going to do my rituals every night and morning. I checked it out, I didn’t find a toilet bowl, a sink, or even a mirror. I only saw a little space where in a curtain divides the space from the whole place. I figured out that it was their bathroom. I experienced getting my own water from the poso. I actually enjoyed pumping water because I consider it as a work out for the upper body but my muscles were already aching but still continued doing it because no one else is going to do it to me. I usually have frequent visits to the bathroom but when I was there I avoided it because I really didn’t know how to work on it. But I survived. Whenever I need to use the bathroom Nay would take me to the neighbour where there is a toilet bowl. I felt at ease. I didn’t have problems with the food or in what bed I’d sleep in. The only important thing to me is the bathroom.

During meals, our group would offer to help out with the chores but our host family wouldn’t allow us to do so, but still, we made an effort to help out because that was our purpose. When I arrived there, I expected that things would not be easy. Actually, I expected for the worst. I’m not really used to do chores at home but when I came to our host family, I wanted to help out

My experience in Hacienda Luisita wasn’t a nightmare but instead, golden. I had a first hand experience on being a farmer. I don’t usually finish my food because I’m a slow eater so there comes a tendency that I become timid to finish it up so the food goes to waste. But after this experience, I valued food a lot than before. I know how hard it is to walk kilometres under the heat of the sun for almost a whole day just to harvest crops that I’m not sure off if I’d eat them. It was hard but this experience was worth it. It’s a one time, big time opportunity.

I’m glad that I was able to see this reality though before leaving the place, I had a bad experience. I lost money. I don’t know how but I don’t want to blame the host family. I left my wallet in the house we stayed in and before leaving, I checked it and didn’t find my money there anymore. I really got disappointed because of that but I though that they need it more than I do. I didn’t pressure anyone to find my money or what I just let it passed. But the hard part was when we were about to leave the house we stayed in, I say a group gambling. I really hope that the money that was stolen from my wallet wasn’t used for something wrong but instead for something useful. I already forgave whoever took it and I hope that person made use of it well.

If someone would ask me if I want to go back there, I’d have second thoughts because it was really hard coping up. But still, I’d be glad to help and pray for them to get what they deserve. 

by: Bettina Banez

rafarific asked: Sinabi ko nga sa pamilya na tinuluyan naming. “nay bkt po ayaw nyong umalis ditto sa hacienda??” sabi ni nanay “anak kung san ako kumaki dun din ako mamamatay” sang sinagot ko. “ nay kong akong masusunod ayokong nakikita ang pamilya nyo na nag hihirap lalo na’t madami kayong apo ant malaki ang pamilya nyo” hindi na naka imik si nanay sa sinabi ko marahil ay napag isipan din nya ang mga salitang lumabas sa mga bibig ko.

ardy18 asked: I learned and realized a lot of things in that place, and there are also things that bothered me and still I don’t understand. It is a human instinct for us people to aim for a better and comfortable life, we all want to succeed and let us admit it and don’t be a hypocrite, you cannot live a comfortable life nowadays if you don’t have money, it’s a sad thing but its true. Money nowadays is a need, and you cannot earn it if you don’t work hard for it, though there are a lot that earns a lot without working hard, those that are corrupt and selfish. In relation to that, the workers in the hacienda are working so hard that they don’t get the fruit of their hard work, and the people that are selfish who are saying that they own the land are the ones who are benefitting from the sweat, blood and tears of these people, they are using their weaknesses for their own good, and they succeeded decades ago until now, they are still abusing these people and I just wonder why the government is blind about this issue, is it because the president is part of the issue? It’s a sad and frustrating thing. If the Cojuangco’s and Aquinos prove to the Filipino people that they worked really hard, harder than these farmers to get this big chunk of land then they should consider their side, if not then the government should do all the means to protect and reward the hard work of these farmers, they deserve to have a comfortable life. They deserve to get the fruits of their hard work.

Maraming walang pakealam sa sitwasyon ng mga tao sa hacienda. Siguro mabibilang lang sa mga daliri ang may pakealam sa kanila. Sa totoo lng kalunos lunos ang sitwasyon nila sa hacienda. Halos walangmakain tinitipid ang kakarampot na sweldo oh minsan wala pa silang kinikita. Minsan wala na talaga silang makain. Nung pumunta ka sa hacienda upang tignan ang kalagayan nila sobrang naawa ako kc ako nakakagala nakakakain ng masasarap, nakakatulog sa malambot na kama, at higit sa lahat nakakapag aral. Sa unang araw naming sa hacienda pinakita na ng mag tao kung gano sila kasaya na tanggapin kami ng buong buo sa lugar nila. Kung tutuusin para sakin sila ang pinaka masayang tao sa mundo kc kahit na nahihirapan sila tuloy padin sila sa pag ngiti at pag tawa. Pero pag usapang lupa na lahat ng emosyon bumubuhos. Wala silng magawa para makuha ang lupa na inaasam asam nila. Kung may pag kakataon nga lng ehh ako na mismo ang mag bibigay ng lupa sa kanila upang tamnan ng mga gulat at prutas. Pero hindi ehh , wala akong magawa kung hindi kaawaan sila. At maki simpatya sa kanila, ang napag tanto ko  sa pamamalagi ko sa hacienda ay ang pakikipag kapwa tao.  Pakikisama sa iba, pakikisalamuha sa buhay mahirap, napag tanto ko rin na  bawat tao sa hacienda ay pinipilit labananang kahirapan.  Ngayon taas noo ako sa mga tao sa hacienda. Dahil hindi sila sumusuko sa hamon ng buhay. Tuloy pa din sila sa pag bangon at pinag papatuloy nila ang pag asenso.

by: rafa perez

Lupa. Kailangang maipamahagi na ang Lupa sa kanila ng totoo. Palaging may nakaambang panganib na maagaw muli ang lupang binubungkal na nila ngayon. Mas malaki ang kaibahan nang trabahador sila sa sacada, kesa ngayong sila na ang nagbubungkal ng lupa. Mas may positibong resulta sa kanilang kabuhayan, at paglago. Nakita nyo naman na hindi sila tamad. (Burado dapat nito ang myth na tamad kaya mahirap). Kaya din nilang iangat sarili nila ng walang tulong ang pamahalaan. Pero sa kaso ng pamamahagi sa Lupa, tanging ang estado ang may huling sasabihin kung ang lupa ay kanila o hindi, kaya pilit nating iginigiit sa rehimeng Aquino na ipamahagi na talaga ang Lupa. Hanggang ngayon, wala pang inilalabas na desisyon ang Korte Suprema

by Pia Montalban