AGRARIAN Reform Secretary John Castriciones on Monday said the agency's effort to send 91 farmers camped in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform office in Quezon City back to their homes in Davao del Norte was just part of its "image-building."
The farmers were sent home Monday night.
At the weekly forum of the Quezon City Press Club, Castriciones said he only wanted to help the farmer-beneficiaries of Tagum Development Corp.
"I have no political intention doing this. I do not want to look good in front of you. All I want is to do what is mandated of me," he told reporters.
"I pity the [poor] farmers," he added.
Last Sunday, DAR said it would be sending home the 91 protesting farmers who had been camping at the department's central office in Quezon City since October.
"It's Christmas [Day] soon. And yet, they are still there [at the campsite]. Wouldn't it be nice that they would spend Christmas with their family?" Castriciones said.
According to the agency, Pedro Arnado, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Southern Mindanao chairman, sent a solicitation letter seeking support for the protesting farmers, who wished to go home for Christmas to be with their family.
Castriciones immediately tapped director Diosdado Padilla of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to provide the farmers with a scholarship program.
But KMP secretary-general Antonio Flores hit still criticized the department, saying it failed to issue a "single installation order despite the farmers’ numerous dialogues and meetings with DAR central office personnel."
He accused DAR of "maliciously capitalizing" on the farmers' desire to go back to Davao City when it issued a press release on Castriciones' action to send off the Tadeco farmers.
He urged the DAR chief to "stop using the farmers for his trying-hard image building."
Castriciones, for his part, maintained he did not have any political intention in helping the farmers.
"I just wanted to help them," he reiterated.
Castriciones was joined by Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco of the Presidential Task Force for Media Security, who vowed to end media killings by 2020 under his 20/20 Vision program.