In Barangay Tartaria, Silang, Cavite, patches of land grow increasingly divided. Lands are fragmented between peasants’ small parcels of farms and security personnel guarding most of the fields claimed by the Aguinaldos. Over the decades, greater portions of farmland have been forcefully taken from farmers and enclosed with fences. 

Intensifying attacks have prompted the residents to stage a Kampuhan as their defense against Aguinaldo-Ayala’s latest string of intrusions. The plight of Tartaria farmers is a testament to the systemic violence land-grabbers employ to dispossess peasants in the absence of genuine agrarian reform.

Hostile Takeover

The recent dispute in Tartaria occurred on April 4 when a farmer reported a contingent of guards from the Jarton Security Agency (JSA) illegally fencing off their land. The guards are hired brutes of the Aguinaldos under Emilio “Orange” Aguinaldo IV, according to the Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan.

Samahan ng Magsasaka at Mamamayan ng Tartaria (SAMATA), a group of residents and farmers, barricaded the land on April 17 to block JSA’s intrusion as they persisted in erecting the fences. Immediate demolition and harassment followed. SAMATA eventually staged a Kampuhan on the succeeding days to stall the fences.

But, at around 2:00 a.m. on April 20 when children mostly composed the camp, more than 50 personnel ambushed the area. They were armed and equipped with helmets and combat gear. Residents shared that the goons battered the children until five had to be escorted to the hospital, while the rest fled bruised. SAMATA shouldered the P10,000 medical bills. 

JSA guards barricade a parcel of land with their shields in Tartaria. The barricades were placed in the dead of the night right after armed goons ambushed the community’s Kampuhan on April 20. (AJ Dela Cruz/Philippine Collegian)

“Mga kasama namin ay ginawang bola—hinawakan sa damit, sabay suntok, sabay tutok ng baril,” said Jojo Nafronza, member of Sinag ng Kabataan sa Tartaria, the youth arm of SAMATA. 

Before the peasants could regroup, the land where they originally camped was fenced off. Residents said that the women tried to dismantle the structures, but the guards responded by hitting them with shields. As a result, the camp was pushed back to the small area near their houses. The farmland was completely enclosed and made inaccessible, threatening residents like Nafronza with death should they enter the premises.

Clothes, food, and even devices from the media that were left behind in the onslaught were gone. Farmers demanded the return of their possessions to the municipality. JSA claimed that a local child had taken but then returned the items to the guards, despite witnesses reporting that the guards burnt materials during the ambush. 

The youth were violently ambushed by armed goons while sleeping in the Kampuhan, leading to five being hospitalized. They help to set up the Kampuhan in protest against the intrusions in their farmlands. (AJ Dela Cruz/Philippine Collegian)

Beyond the physical damages, the youth also expressed experiencing psychological trauma after the ambush. Some stopped going to school altogether in fear of losing their homes. They have since dedicated their time to the Kampuhan.

One of the children in the Kampuhan climbs a dilapidated house to help erect a makeshift shade during a school day. The items confiscated and burned by the armed goons were gadgets used by the youth for their education. (AJ Dela Cruz/Philippine Collegian)

Scare Tactics

Jerry Luna, leader of SAMATA, said this is only one of many incidents that have transpired between Tartaria farmers and the Aguinaldo-Ayala clans over the past decades. 

Jerry Luna, leader of SAMATA, chronicled how their ancestors were already tilling the land of Tartaria by 1911. Ever since the Aguinaldo clan claimed the area, the community has been subject to different forms of violence. (AJ Dela Cruz/Philippine Collegian)

The residents claimed that their descendants from Batangas started tilling the land after migrating to Tartaria in 1911 in the aftermath of the Taal volcano eruption. Land disputes only began in the 1960s when the Aguinaldos prohibited the farmers from planting, going as far as to poison their crops and steal their equipment. 

Lola Tessie (right) and Nanay Ita (left) are members of the peasant women’s group Ugnayan ng mga Ina sa Tartaria (UGIT) established in 1990. UGIT has defended the community from land-grabbing since its establishment. (AJ Dela Cruz/Philippine Collegian)

Tartaria forms part of the 200-hectare landholding claimed by the Aguinaldos in Cavite since 1940, known as Lupang Aguinaldo. Their land titles have no legitimacy since the residents settled on it before the Aguinaldos’ claim, said SAMATA. 

The Department of Agrarian Reform initially granted the distribution of Tartaria to 137 land beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, but the Aguinaldos contested the decision numerous times until it was overturned during the administration of Fidel Ramos. 

Then, since the 2000s, residents have pointed to Ayala Land Incorporated as partnering with the Aguinaldos to convert lands in Cavite for subdivisions and business ventures. In 2021, vendors at the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road where Tartaria is situated were reportedly threatened with demolition to pave the way for an Ayala-led development project, according to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Cavite.

Developers targeted the highway and its surrounding area due to the road’s connection to Tagaytay, which is slated to be a provincial center under the CALABARZON Regional Development Plan. 

The clans argue that the land’s development will lead to job creation. But Luna doubts this will happen. “Ang sinasabi nilang kaunlaran ay pagpapalayas sa mga kasamahan nating magsasaka at mamamayan ng Tartaria,” he said.

The Aguinaldo-Ayalas have since employed scare tactics through fabricated charges to intimidate farmers into surrendering their land. Trumped-up charges such as frustrated murder and the illegal possession of deadly weapons were lodged against 11 members of SAMATA, forcing them into hiding. The resulting legal fees cost the organization over P100,000. 

These intensified attacks have resulted in the surrender of around 60 percent of farmland in Tartaria and halved the number of protesters, said Luna. 

The remaining farmers unwavering against the intimidation are subject to more immediate forms of harassment through the deployment of guards and the erection of fences on their property. With the nearing rainy season signaling the time to plant, these farmers are unable to till because of the intrusions. 

“‘Di sila makapokus sa kanilang gawain dahil sa pangamba na mababakuran ang kanilang mga lupang sakahan,” Luna said.

Tatay Mohd Ibrahim, using a bolo, skillfully cuts open a coconut, one of the many crops that sustain the farmers’ daily living. Due to the absence of irrigation from the government, farmers like Tatay Mohd plant different crops that could survive independently in existing climate conditions. (AJ Dela Cruz/Philippine Collegian)

Continuing Connivance

Amid continuing harassment, the state has neglected farmers, leaving peasants no option but to defend themselves.

During the ambush on April 20, the police did nothing but watch and only instructed the residents to go home. According to Luna, the barangay captain signed off on the clan’s fencing permit and merely instructed the farmers to just disagree with the plans, offering no intervention or support. 

Without any institution to turn to, Luna suspects collusion between the local government and the Aguinaldo-Ayala clans. 

“Di natin sila makitaan ng tindig samantalang mamamayanan nila ang ginigipit at pinagsasamantalahan,” he said.

The national government reinforces the struggles of Tartaria farmers through the lack of genuine agrarian reform that renders their farmlands vulnerable to land-grabbing. Peasant groups have long supported the passage of the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill, which will freely distribute agricultural lands to farmers. 

Julie Ann Contreras, a member of SIKAT, sings “Balang Araw” by Ericson Acosta. She stressed the role of the youth in remembering and struggling for their land’s history.  (AJ Dela Cruz/Philippine Collegian)

For the community of Tartaria, backing down is not an option. Until the pursuit of genuine agrarian reform is realized, residents will continue relying on community efforts such as Kampuhans to resist land-grabbing attempts. ●