Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman yesterday said he was saddened by the death of a farmer beneficiary in Hacienda Velez-Malaga in Barangay Robles, La Castellana, but blamed the violence that erupted on Task Force Mapalad for the "self installation" of farmers.

TFM, on the other hand, blamed Pangandaman for the violence that erupted that caused the death of Pepito Santillan yesterday morning.

We blame Pangandaman for this, his weakness, indecisiveness and failure to fulfill his promise to install CLOA holders led to this incident, TFM spokesperson Edna Sobrecanay said.

Pangandaman said he has asked the DAR regional director and the PNP to investigate who was behind the killing.

But Pangandaman told the DAILY STAR in a telephone interview, "I am pointing to Task Force Mapalad for instigating this trouble."

"It is Task Force Mapalad that risked the lives of the farmer beneficiaries," he said.

Pangandaman said there are ongoing negotiations being conducted by his office between the landowner Bob Cuenca and TFM lawyer Christian Monsod, but the farmer-beneficiaries self-installed themselves on Wednesday without the DAR and other stakeholders.

He said that, to avoid bloodshed, he asked for time to talk with the parties involved to ensure the peaceful installation of beneficiaries.

The landowner, Bob Cuenca, is not opposing the imposition of land reform, what he is opposed to is the installation of some beneficiaries who, he says, are not actual tillers of the land, Pangandaman said.

He said the DAR was in the process of identifying the rightful beneficiaries when TFM self-installed themselves triggering the violence.

"The TFM leaders cannot escape responsibility over this sad development. If only its leaders abided by our earlier agreement not to force the issue, this would not have happened," Pangandaman said.

He also said that the TFM leaders installed farmer beneficiaries Wednesday on its own and did it at a time when officials and key personnel of the Department of Agrarian Reform were holding their annual assessment and planning conference at the Waterfront Hotel in Davao City.

He said he was referring to TFM head Christian Monsod the former Commission on Elections chairman, Rep. Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel and some of their key leaders who agreed to allow him during their meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City during the Christmas holidays to talk to Cuenca and find a holistic way of resolving the impasse.

"The TFM's twin acts showed the kind of character its leaders have. They are not trustworthy," Pangandaman said. "Besides, they were putting the lives of our farmer-beneficiaries in danger, which is precisely what we are trying to avoid."

He also denied TFM allegations that he is not acting on its petition to install the farmer-beneficiaries on the disputed property, saying that he is doing his best to get the case over with.

TFM leader Gregorio Paclibar said in a press statement that Pangandaman should resign and let a more capable person do the DAR secretary's job to ensure effective implementation of the CARP.

He said Pangandaman should not sell out the agrarian reform beneficiaries to Cuenca.

"The secretary was entertaining Cuenca's offer to have us relocated in another portion of the hacienda which is not yet covered by CARP.

"We have made it clear to him that we will not give up our rights to 144 hectares already awarded to us under CARP, but recently Cuenca had drafted a memorandum of understanding with Pangandaman seeking to deprive use of our right to the land," Paclibar said.

The 100 agrarian reform beneficiaries are all holders of a collective CLOA, who tried to occupy a portion of the 144-hectare land awarded to them in 2002, the TFM press statement said.

The TFM staged a rally to condemn the violence at Hacienda Velez-Malaga in front of the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City yesterday morning.*CPG

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