Mendiola massacre
President of the Philippines Post-Presidency The Mendiola massacre was an incident that took place on Mendiola Street, San Miguel, Manila, Philippines on January 22, 1987, in which state security forces under President Corazon Aquino violently dispersed a farmers' march to Malacañang Palace in protest for the lack of government action on land reform.
[3][4] Corazon Aquino's election to the presidency brought about the prospects of rebuilding the formal institutions of democracy and the fundamentals of the Philippine economy.
However, their representatives were told by Minister Heherson Alvarez to wait for the finalization of the new Philippine Constitution and the new Congress, which made the farmers suspicious of this indecisiveness.
[5] Aquino's EO 229 failed to address the root of agrarian problems of the country, disappointing the farmers and causing them to protest against the administration.
[5] The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP or Peasant Movement of the Philippines), a militant farmers' group led by Jaime Tadeo, demanded genuine agrarian reform from the Aquino government.
Whether or not it was a deliberate action or a miscommunicated order, the Mendiola incident showed that there were people who were dissatisfied with the self-preserving oligarchs-legislators who backed Aquino's administration.
[8] The violent dispersal became a tipping point for key anti-government groups such as the National Democratic Front (NDF), the main communist coalition at the time to defer from peace talks with the new government, ending hopes for reconciliation for agrarian reforms.
Marching from the Quezon Memorial Circle, Tadeo's group was joined by members of other militant groups: Kilusang Mayo Uno (May One Movement), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance), League of Filipino Students and Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Lungsod (Unity Congress of the Urban Poor).
[9] The Western Police District, Marines, Special Weapons and Tactics team, and Military, all colluded to barricade the entrance of the Malacañang Palace.
The second line of defense, composed of the Marines, fired warning shots and threw pillbox and tear gas canisters to the supporters which started an even worse commotion.
As a response to the Mendiola massacre, leaders from the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas announced that they will be staging a nationwide protest condemning the mass killing.
As part of the protest, farmers were instructed to go on a farming strike, barricading major produce routes, and forcibly seizing agricultural inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers from abusive landlords.
KMP leader Jaime Tadeo also demanded for the immediate resignation of then Defense Minister Rafael Ileto, Gen. Fidel Ramos, Brig.
[14] Following the incident was the February 4, 1987, letter addressed to President Aquino indicating the desires of most of the Filipinos, especially the poor and the oppressed, which is "bringing about a more progressive and stable foundation for upholding their rights."
The Citizen's Mendiola Commission (CMC), formed by Aquino to investigate on the incident released its official report on the day of February 27, 1987.
[15] Moreover, other members of the Presidential Committee on Human Rights asked for the resignation of Defense Minister Ileto and Gen. Fidel V. Ramos for their alleged complicity in the Mendiola massacre.
[16] Crispin Beltran, leader of Kilusang Mayo Uno, spoke on behalf of the protesters when he stated that they wanted no more bloodshed: "We shall return tomorrow with no weapons, but armed with courage and determination to seek justice for our slain comrades."
On another note, the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) challenged President Aquino to sign an executive order carrying out a minimum program of land reform presented to her by the Kilusang Magbubukid.
Aside from the challenge of the NUSP, KMP Chairman Jaime Tadeo said that the Aquinos should distribute their 6,000 hectare (14,600 acre) estate in Central Luzon as a model for land reform.
