Clash erupts at hacienda amid agrarian land dispute

By Dolly Yasa

TALISAY CITY — A confrontation broke out on Saturday morning, September 20, at Hacienda San Antonio Dos in Barangay Dos Hermanas after agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) entered the contested property and uprooted newly planted sugarcane.

Security guards employed by RCP Security Agency, contracted by the hacienda management, were deployed to respond after a group composed of elderly individuals, women, and children reportedly entered the land while men remained outside.

Operations manager Reynaldo Panuela said tensions escalated when some members of the group allegedly carried stones and bolos and ganged up on the guards, prompting one security personnel to fire a warning shot.

He added that several individuals involved were unfamiliar to the guards and believed to be non-residents of the area.

While no farmers were injured, some guards sustained minor bruises during the scuffle.

Security personnel reportedly moved to prevent additional men from joining the confrontation.

In a statement, hacienda management insisted it retains legal ownership of the 22.95-hectare property, citing notarized deeds of sale executed by 15 ARBs between November 2013 and November 2016 following the 10-year holding period mandated under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

The Department of Agrarian Reform–Regional Office 6 denied the ARBs’ petition for a cease and desist order in April, citing “lack of merit.”

The 15 complainants were part of the original 26 ARBs who received Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) and were installed on the property in 2001.

Management also cited a similar disturbance in February and said the once peaceful hacienda community had seen renewed conflict since August last year.

They accused the group of instigating violence, damaging property, and disturbing operations, prompting what they described as necessary security measures to protect personnel and assets.