
“Blood Weighs More than Politics”
There is nothing superficial about the New York Times depiction of the Cojuangcos hogging politics and Hacienda Luisita. The people are not that naïve to not be able to determine just how Malacañang was used by the Cojuangcos to serve their best interest. The clan’s indifference over the distribution of their claimed Hacienda Luisita among its farm workers is as discernible as the insensitivity of the Liberal Party on letting us swallow another Cojuangco minion – Sen. Noynoy Aquino. The part where Noynoy managed to go about the affairs of his cousin –Fernando Cojuangco whom the senator claimed was aggravated by political white wash and misguided journalism is enough proof for the public to rethink LP’s offered “reform”.
The true story beneath the lavish talks of presidentiable Noynoy Aquino on Cojuangco family extending the distribution of land to make sure that the farmers get clean-slate of land titles free from debts is that the Cojuangcos have obviously exploited the land to its inutile state. Don Jose Cojuangco who bought the 6,400 hectare azucarera using loaned public fund from the Central Bank of the Philippines (CBP) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) back in 1958 has made quite a hole on the land reform and grants system when he lied about the existence of the 100,000 azucarera residents inside the Luisita estate that should have rightfully owned the land during the 1980s. The only obvious failure of the 1986 Edsa People Power would be the continued land struggle in Hacienda Luisita. Former Pres. Cory Aquino’s administration ended dictatorship but it helped breed deafening abuses against toiling farm workers on the Cojuangcos very backyard.
Noynoy promising Hacienda Luisita in five years right about the time before he steps down the presidency once he get elected is another iconic rundown of Cojuangcos intentional deceit and misuse of authority over the Luisita farmers’ affairs. In fact, others see this as an understatement in which Noynoy is trying to bait the azucarera over votes. He is only making a fool of the Luisita farmers; again; making these farmers’ believe that their only hope of getting their piece of land is by giving Noynoy Malacañang. Just like the rotten power thug between different social classes in the country that involves the well-off and the deprived who are under their paychecks, the Cojuangcos through Noynoy will soon be able to turn the tables once and again on the rightful allocation of Luisita. That is, by taking a look back at how the Cojuangcos managed to stall the division of the azucarera through Cory’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in 1988.
Blood runs thicker than politics, and for Noynoy, blood is foremost valuable than honest and impartisan governance. Philippine politics is so prone to familial dynasty-ism that most of the time families pay interests on running for various public offices for the benefit of either business or control. This is the exact same thing that fuels Noynoy’s presidency. It had always been for the advantage of the Cojuangcos who nearly faced the people’s tribunal after the 2004 Luisita massacre and the persistent prostitution of farm workers’ rights. Furthermore, it is disgusting to see Noynoy being overprotective of his affluent cousins as he himself had not done much in the years he served in the legislature.