Distilling the Issues in VMC Distillery (Part 3)

The present operations of VMC’s distillery in Brgy. Purisima, Manapla has drawn flak from residents, including former employees and farm workers.

Issues hurled against the distillery range from environmental degradation, reckless endangerment of nearby residents, land-grabbing and eviction of agrarian reform beneficiaries, and lack of pertinent business documents and permits.

In an effort to shed more light on the issues, Negros Daily Bulletin recently interviewed concerned stakeholders who are complaining against the operations of VMC’s distillery. These are former VMC employee Randy Bacaron, resident Ronald Deocadez, long-time resident and environmentalist Joemarie Almogia, and 71-year old Dolores Managaytay, Vice-Chairman of the 105 agrarian reform beneficiaries to whom the contested 106 hectares VMC landholding was awarded by the Department of Agrarian Reform.

NDB also sought the side of VMC. This marks the first time that the company issued a public statement on the controversy.

In a deviation from traditional feature presentation, NDB will paraphrase the direct statements, translated from the vernacular, of the stakeholders and, at the end of their statements on every issue, NDB will present VMC’s stand.

The first and second parts of this story were published in NDB’s previous issues.

This is the third part.

Land-Grabbing and Eviction of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries

Ronald Deocadez:

These properties were all covered by the government’s agrarian reform program. This landholding was not voluntarily offered for sale under the CARP, but was subjected to compulsory acquisition because VMC opposed the CARP coverage of the lands.

This was already paid for and acquired by the government for more than P24 million. In 2013, the land was awarded to the beneficiaries. They already possess CLOAs.

We appeal to President Rodrigo Duterte. If you are truly against corruption, then you should examine whether our Punong Barangay and town mayor are performing their responsibilities.

If President Duterte will help us, then our 17,000 voters here in Brgy. Purisima, Manapla will support the presidential bid of his daughter, Sarah. If the President will not help us, then we will not help Sarah.

Joemarie Almogia:

My parents and my grandparents lived here in Brgy. Purisima, Manapla. I have also been living here for a very long time.

Originally, there were 34 households living near the distillery. When VMC expanded the distillery, VMC has convinced 24 households to relocate. But instead of VMC providing the relocation site, it is the town’s Yolanda Housing Project which absorbed the relocatees from here.

There are only 10 households who remain living here. VMC considers us as illegal settlers, but we are not illegal settlers because we are former employees of VMC and its subsidiary.

We want to know who really owns this land, considering that there are conflicting claims. This issue of ownership should be settled as soon as possible. We who live here are the ones suffering from the foul smell emitted by the distillery and the fences constructed by VMC.

If it is proven that this land does not belong to us, then we are amenable to leave the premises, as long as we are given decent relocation facilities.

Vice-Chairman Dolores Managaytay:

For many years, we have longed for the opportunity to farm our own land. We were very happy when we learned that this land will be awarded to us by the government.

We were dismayed when forces beyond our understanding, and corruption in government prevented us from occupying the lands awarded to us.

We already possess CLOAs in our hands. However, when we attempted to occupy the land after we were installed by DAR in 2013 as the beneficiaries, we were prevented by VMC’s security guards from entering the property.

We were prevented from entering our own property. But since we, the agrarian reform beneficiaries, do not have enough education and knowledge, we didn’t know what to do. We did nothing because we were also afraid of the security guards who threatened us.

VMC then planted trees around the property and deployed security guards, who warned us not to touch the trees and not to plant any vegetables, because the land belongs to VMC.

We are helpless in this situation. We are poor. We are afraid of rich people.

We are still waiting for the government to fulfill its promise to give us these lands. If we already own these lands, we can order VMC to stop the operation of its distillery.

We can do that if ownership of the land is finally given to us by the government.

VMC Statement:

Certain areas in Manapla were zoned as commercial or industrial by proper authorities before the CARP law took effect in 1988, and this includes VMC’s distillery. So as ordered by the DAR in 2017 and 2019, the land where the VMC Manapla distillery is located has been ordered exempted from CARP.

There is no truth in the statement that the distillery is encroaching on other people’s properties. Nor has it received any payment from the Land Bank for said properties.* (Butch Bacaoco)