Task Force Mapalad yesterday claimed that the dialog arranged by Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela and Kabankalan Bishop Patricio Buzon between farm workers aligned with landowner Roberto Cuenca and Task Force Mapalad farmer-beneficiaries of Hacienda Velez-Malaga in La Castellana was a set-up intended to put TFM in an awkward position and in bad light.

TFM president Jose Rodito Angeles was quoted as saying in a press release sent by Lani Factor that the farmer-beneficiaries belonging to the Hacienda Velez-Malaga Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization, an affiliate of TFM, did not have any plan to negotiate with the farm workers of Cuenca but were "goaded" by Coscolluella and Buzon into a dialog Wednesday.

The TFM farmer-beneficiaries turned down an offer made by the Cuenca aligned group, in what was called an attempt to find a peaceful solution to the land conflict at Velez-Malaga. "If they feel they have been put in a bad light, that is their problem. I wish they were not so malicious," Coscolluela said, in reaction to the TFM statement.

The reason for the negotiations was to try to prevent violent confrontations between both farmers groups, he said.

"We wanted to take both sides away from their non-negotiable positions and bring them towards a workable compromise. I wish they would stop being so defensive," Coscolluela said.

Acting Negros Occidental Gov. Isidro Zayco yesterday also said the efforts by Coscolluela and members of the clergy were to try to get both sides to come to a peaceful resolution to the problem at Velez Malaga.

I hope the parties involved soften their positions and come to some agreement, otherwise there will be no winners, only losers, he said.

TFM is being criticized by Buzon himself for rejecting an alleged generous offer by the farm workers of Cuenca, the TFM press release said.

"In the first place, the farm workers of Cuenca are not owners of the land that they were trying to offer. How can they make an offer? It's a joke, but it seems Coscolluela and Bishop Buzon are biting it," Angeles said.

"The offer was just verbal and lacked formality. There is nothing that would bind Cuenca's farm workers to their own offer even if it was accepted by the farmer-beneficiaries," he added.

Buzon had earlier said he was disappointed by TFM's rejection of the "generous" offer of Cuenca 's farm workers, the TFM statement added.

Jerry Cahilig, spokesman of Havemarbo, said Buzon's remark was uncalled for and unfortunate.

"In the first place, we already have land. We have fought and won the 11-year battle for our land. We have legal and moral right to the 114 hectares covered by our certificate of land ownership award…We do not need Cuenca 's farm workers to give us land. They are not in a position to give us land because they do not own any piece of land," Cahilig said.

"What we want is for Cuenca and his farm workers to accept and respect the rule of law and let us cultivate our land. What we also want is for people like Mr. Coscolluela and Bishop Buzon to acknowledge our right to our land and stop trying to mediate in behalf of Cuenca 's farm workers," Cahilig said.

Edelyna Paclibar, a member of Havemarbo, said she couldn't understand why Bishop Buzon was criticizing TFM.

Cocolluela said "for people who are so quick to criticize other people they (the TFM people) seem so terribly quick to take offense when they are criticized in turn."

He said TFM does not own a patent on good intentions.

"Lani Factor should come to Negros and help work this out instead of being so malicious," Coscolluela said.*CPG

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