Hda. San Antonio Dos Guards Merely Prevented Uprooting of Weeks-Old Sugarcane

The security guards hired by Hacienda San Antonio Dos in Barangay Dos Hermanas, Talisay City merely protected the newly planted sugarcane in a property owned by the hacienda management after it was sold by Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) to it through notarized Sales of Rights.

Farm Operations Manager Reynaldo Panuela told newsmen that the commotion that took place early morning of Saturday, September 20, 2025 was triggered by ARBs composed mostly of old women and children who were already in the farm as early as 6 o’clock.

The blue guards, who were observing maximum tolerance, were ganged up on by the ARBs who were armed with stones and cane knives when they responded to prevent them from uprooting weeks-old sugarcane. This prompted one of the guards to fire a warning shot.

Panuela added that when the male companions of the ARBs also entered the property while they were preventing ARBs from uprooting sugarcane, the guards ran to stop them.

He noted that some of those who tried to enter were unfamiliar faces and not residents of the area.

No one among the farmers were hurt but some guards sustained injuries.

The DAR-Regional Office 6 on April 4, 2025 has denied the petition “for lack of merit” the petiton of 15 ARBs to issue a cease and desist order against the hacienda management. The 15 complainants are among 26 ARBs who received Certificates of Land Ownership Award in 2001 and who were installed by DAR the same year. The ARBs sold their land to the management between 2013 to 2016.

It can be recalled that lands awarded to ARBs can be sold 10 years after the date of their installation.*