BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – An underground alliance of revolutionary organizations in the island called the death of businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco’s death an “insult to the Filipino people.”
Bayani Obrero, spokesperson of the National Democratic Front in the island, described Cojuangco as “one of the wealthiest businessman and big landlord of the Philippines passing is a huge insult to the impoverished masses. Cojuangco was a Marcos crony who has amassed wealth through exploitation of farmers and workers alike.”
Read the rest of the NDF statement below:
Danding Cojuangco’s death an insult to the Filipino people. Eduardo ‘Danding’ Cojuangco Jr., one of the wealthiest businessman and big landlord of the Philippines passing is a huge insult to the impoverished masses. Cojuangco was a Marcos crony who has amassed wealth through exploitation of farmers and workers alike.
In Negros, Cojuangco owns over 4,600 hectares of land mostly for sugar cane, while his workers suffer from low wages with no benefits at all. Despite his old age, he continued to land-grab through legal and illegal means to widen his land monopoly in the island, spanning two cities and seven municipalities in a dozen haciendas.
He is an enabler and defender of bogus land reform schemes especially during the Estrada administration, that left many farmers landless. Cojuangco was also caught in the massive coco levy scam, depriving coconut farmers of their much-deserved fund to aid in their livelihood.
His death is but proof of the flawed justice system that continues to rot to this day: criminals like him, Duterte, Pimentel, Sinas and the AFP-PNP remain to be scot-free and are absolved until their death while the masses have to face either state terrorism or hunger & poverty, which, either way is fatal to them anyway.
NDF-Negros is united with the Filipino people in calling for genuine land reform to address the democratic wishes of the majority of the population. If the likes of Cojuangco and other big comprador bourgeousie and landlords continue to elude justice, their names will be etched in history as enemies of the people.
