Families and human rights advocates marked the 20th anniversary of the Hacienda Luisita massacre with a renewed call for justice for the victims who lost their lives and those left traumatized.
“We chose to rise again despite the oppression from the state and the military, for our comrades who were slain and for our fight to reclaim the land they took from us,” said Francisco Dizon, chairperson of Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Hacienda Luisita (AMBALA).

Around 400 peasants, youth activists, and church and human rights workers on Nov. 16, 2024, gathered in Balete village to protest what they described as ongoing repression and the denial of land rights for Hacienda Luisita’s farm workers.
Danilo Ramos, peasant activist and leader of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, said the plight of the Hacienda Luisita farmers serves as a reminder that the state will not willingly uphold genuine land reform and justice for the marginalized without persistent struggle and collective action.
“Two decades have passed, yet justice remains elusive, and the farmers of Hacienda Luisita continue to be denied their rightful claim to the land,” said Ramos.
Twenty years ago, around 5,000 sugar farm workers and 500 sugar mill workers launched a strike to demand, among other things, the reinstatement of 327 workers, including union leaders, who had been laid off by the management of Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI).
On Nov. 16, 2004, members of the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU) and the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union (CATLU), joined by thousands from their communities, gathered near Gate 1 of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac sugar mill.
They were on the tenth day of their strike, demanding a wage increase, improved workers’ benefits, and genuine land reform in the hacienda, owned by the Cojuangco family—relatives of former presidents Corazon Aquino and Benigno Aquino III.
On that fateful day, police forces and around 200 soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command, equipped with two armored personnel carriers, launched an assault on the strikers, using tear gas, water cannons, and live ammunition.
Seven people were killed, while an estimated 121 people, including adults and children, were injured. Additionally, 133 individuals were arrested and detained.
The violence did not end with the massacre. In the following months, eight more individuals who supported the strike or provided evidence about the killings were extrajudicially murdered.
Among them were Bishop Alberto Ramento and Fr. William Tadena of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), Ric Ramos, president of CATLU, and Marcelino Beltran, chair of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Tarlac, was also killed shortly before he was set to testify about the massacre.
“It’s still painful to commemorate the massacre 20 years later, but the blood shed by our martyrs watered the seeds of resistance and continues to bloom despite constant harassment and intimidation from the military,” said Leonarda Halili, member of AMBALA.

During the protest rally, Tarlac City Councilor Emy Ladera-Facunla, the sister of former city councilor Abel Ladera, who was murdered on March 3, 2005, recited a poem expressing the cry for justice for the victims of the Hacienda Luisita killings.
Ladera-Facunla said the massacre remains a “glaring reminder of the grave injustice” in the country and underscores the “unrelenting struggle of marginalized communities” for land rights, justice, and dignity.
IFI priest Gilbert Garcia called on the Philippine government to take decisive action to address the longstanding injustices faced by Hacienda Luisita farm workers.
He demanded that authorities hold the perpetrators accountable for the killings. “This culture of impunity must end. The government must stand with the oppressed rather than those who exploit them.”
In April 2012, the Supreme Court ordered the full distribution of Hacienda Luisita to the farmworker beneficiaries. However, only 4,099 out of the 6,453 hectares of land have been distributed.
Hundreds of hectares have been repurposed for the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, malls, factories, and creeks. Additionally, significant portions of the estate have been sold to corporations, including Ayala, Aboitiz, and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation.