The Diocese of Bacolod Social Action Center (SAC) yesterday called for an immediate investigation into the Sagay City shooting over the weekend that claimed the lives of at least nine National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) farmers.

SAC head, Fr. Chris Gonzales condemned the incident and expressed sadness over the murders.

“I hope the authorities will thoroughly investigate this incident,” he said.

The diocese official went on to say, after learning the said farmers were part of a program to cultivate land that had either been abandoned or left unused, the farmers were disappointed as crops could have developed on the otherwise idle land.

He called the attacks “unnecessary” and said such a program would only work if there is proper coordination between farmers and landowners.

NFSW, meanwhile, issued a statement condemning the attack, saying, the “feudal hacienda system” in Negros, which he claimed has “long been exploiting farmers and farm workers,” has been so shaken by intensified land cultivation campaigns.

“They are deathly afraid of the unified strength of the farmers to collectively cultivate the land,” the organization said. “They even result to the use of brute force and even killings in order to attack farmers who continue to assert and defend their democratic, civil, and political rights.”

They also blamed President Rodrigo Duterte, saying his administration has made the intimidation, harassment, and killing of activists and critics “state policy.”

“We will not [cower] by such brazen attempt of this regime to silence us,” the statement went on to say./DGB, WDJ