Asia Pacific Research Network (APRN) joined farmers, peoples organizations, and advocates in marking the 20th anniversary of the bloody Hacienda Luisita massacre, which remains a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for land, justice, and the rights of farmers and farmworkers.
On November 6, 2004, around 5,000 unionists from the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU), 700 from the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union (CATLU), as well as agricultural workers and residents of Hacienda Luisita, launched a strike to protest the worsening precarity of work–low wages, contractualization, absence of social protection, among others–that workers face in the Cojuangco-Aquino family-owned estate.
On November 16, 2004, on the 10th day of the strike, combined elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) brutally dispersed the striking workers, killing seven and injuring hundreds.
Two decades later, justice remains elusive for the victims and their families. To this day, farmers, workers, and advocates continue to endure state violence as they fight for their rights and welfare, amid a deepening economic and socio-political crisis.
Coinciding with the anniversary is the 29th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), currently being held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event brings together politicians, diplomats, national government representatives, and land and environmental defenders to discuss climate change and its devastating impact. Yet, as in previous climate conferences, farmers, workers, and marginalized communities are excluded from meaningful participation in the decision-making process. The corporate interests that dominate COP continue to marginalize those who are most affected by climate change and state violence, all in the name of profit.
Farmers are bearing the brunt of climate crises that are not of their making. Meanwhile, corporate polluters-plunderers and complicit governments push forward harmful development projects that degrade the environment, displace communities, militarize rural areas, and violate human rights.
As the demands of farmers for land and justice remain ignored, the struggle continues. The fight for climate justice, accountability for corporate polluters, and the urgent need for system change remain more pressing than ever. APRN expresses its full solidarity with the farmers of Hacienda Luisita and all peasants, land activists, and environmental defenders around the world who continue to resist exploitation and fight for a just and sustainable future.
The struggle for land, justice, and climate action is inseparable from the fight for a system that upholds the dignity of the people and the planet. APRN stands united with the global movement for change.
APRN is working everyday to advance genuine development and social change. But we can’t do it without you.
You can help us in amplifying the campaigns and advocacies of workers, farmers, migrants, indigenous peoples, women and children in Asia-Pacific
Give us a message below and we will guide you in the donation process.
Donor Name
Email
Contact Number
Amount
Message