KMP denies holding as ‘captives’ freed farmers

KIDAPAWAN CITY -– Leaders of militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in North Cotabato vehemently denied accusations they are holding as ‘captives’ the more than 70 farmers arrested after they were released from detention last week. On Monday, Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) national head lawyer Percy Acosta told media here that she personally visited Kidapawan City to look for ‘prisoners’ held ‘somewhere’. Acosta and her staff found the prisoners at the Organic Farm owned by the Diocese of Kidapawan located at Barangay Balindog, here. In fact, Acosta was able to send home at least five of the prisoners. Kasi tinitiyak lang namin kung nakauwi na sila, pero ‘yun pala, hindi pa.Hindi raw kasi sila pinahihintulutang makauwi.At ang sabi, ayaw nila’ng umuwi kasi raw sabi sa kanila na aarestuhin daw sila ng mga pulis.E, hindi naman ‘yun totoo,” Acosta said. KMP North Cotabato chairperson Lito Roxas admitted some of the farmers have decided to stay at the Organic Farm because they have yet to appear at a local court here on Monday, April 25. These prisoners from Amas, after they posted bail, were placed here at the Farm.We didn’t hold them here like hostages.This place is their sanctuary,” said Roxas. The farm, located at Barangay Balindog here, is owned by the Diocese of Kidapawan and used to be managed by American missionary Peter Geremiah of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Mission. Of the 81 individuals arrested and charged of direct assault, 57 of them still remain at the Diocese’s farm. Roxas explained the KMP is still on the process of preparing papers and other documents needed in filing counter-charges against the police, local government officials, and other individuals they deemed involved in the bloody confrontation on April 1 that killed one of their members, Darwin Sulang, and injured several other protesters. He stressed that with help from their lawyers from the Union of Progressive Lawyers they would achieve justice that the farmers all deserve. What happened on April 1 was the highest form of violation of the farmers’ right to seek redress,” he said. On March 29, some 6,000 farmers, coming from at least eight towns in North Cotabato, gathered in Kidapawan City to ask for rice from the provincial government. They demanded at least 15,000 bags of rice from the National Food Authority (NFA), which the local government failed to provide until the bloody incident. After the dispersal, rice donations started to flood the Spottswood Methodist Center. The KMP was able to gather more than 2,000 bags of rice, which they distributed to farmers who remained at the Spottswood mission center until last week. On Thursday, the KMP officers and members continued their rice distribution at Barangay Ganatan in Arakan town. The rice, Roxas said, came from donations from entertainment artists like Robin Padilla, Anne Curtis, Jasmine Smith, Aiza Seguera, and others. This is part of the series of rice distribution through the support of different individuals and organizations after the Kidapawan incident,” he explained.