PONTEVEDRA, Neg. Occ. – Just when a violent confrontation between members of the Department of Agrarian Reform, the police, the Army and farmer beneficiaries seemed inevitable, a last minute agreement on the resumption of negotiations between the DAR and the workers at Hacienda Carmenchika happened yesterday.

Almost an hour after Pontevedra Mayor Jose Benito Alonso and Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer II Teresita Depeñoso started their dialog at the municipal hall, DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman agreed to the suggestion of the mayor to resume talks with the parties on the disputed parcels of land in the hacienda.

This was welcomed by both Alonso and Depeñoso, who said it prevented possible violence between the government representatives and the farmer beneficiaries opposing the scheduled delineation of the area.

A dialog between the DAR and the members of the original 223 members of the Workers Amalgamated Union of the Philippines will be held at the town's gym today to discuss options in the land dispute.

Before Pangandaman talked to Alonso by telephone, however, they were in a deadlock on whether to push through with the action over threats of armed resistance from original WAUP members.

Depeñoso repeatedly told Alonso they will go to the roadside property despite reports that the WAUP members have barricaded the area and are ready with stones.

“This is not the right time because the emotions of those people there are very high and I cannot control them…If you want to go, I cannot stop you but if something will happen, we're out of it,” Alonso said.

Depeñoso said she will see what will happen and just wanted to talk to them to know their problems.

The WAUP members, led by Alonso's brother, Ed, said the DAR should implement the Memorandum of Agreement between them and about 30 of their former members first.

Depeñoso, however, said that while they are trying to implement the MOA they have to delineate the hacienda after complications rose from the repeated breakdown of dialogs between them and the two groups.

Meanwhile, Supt. Celestino Guara, reiterated that at any sign of resistance from the WAUP members, they will withdraw on orders of Negros Occidental Police Office director, Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco. He pointed to what happened in Hacienda Velez-Malaga and warned of a possibility of violence.

Guara and Supt. Edgardo Ordaniel led around 60 members of the Provincial Mobile Group to secure the DAR officials had the plan pushed through. Two platoons of Army officers under the 11th Infantry Battalion were also at the town to reinforce the police.

Second lieutenant Darwin Najet said they were supposed to just stay behind the police and move in only if they see armed resistance.

Meanwhile, Ed Alonso denied responsibility for the grenade explosion at the DAR office in Bacolod yesterday, saying it could have been the ploy of their former members.

The incident is still being investigated by the police.*PP

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