NASUGBU, Batangas, Philippines — Some 3,000 farmer-beneficiaries will march along the stretch of Nasugbu Highway Friday to celebrate victory after 20 years of fighting for land ownership in Hacienda Roxas.

Association of Women for Agrarian Reform Development and Empowerment (AWARDEE) Executive Director Aya Jarollina said the victory of Nasugbu’s sugarcane farmers may have a major impact on agrarian reform cases pending in court, like that of the Hacienda Luisita case.

“This victory of the farmers did not come in silver platter,” Jarollina said. “It was a long, lonely struggle, fraught with physical danger in every step of the way.”

Jarollina said they had to protect their ranks from infiltrators who had watched their every move, hoping to cripple their resolve to continue with the struggle to own the land they till.

Friday’s victory march marks the beginning of the end of their struggle as farmer-beneficiaries from Barangays Aga, Reparo, Lumbangan, Banilad, Bilaran, Cogonan, Catandaan are closer to gaining their land titles.

Their counsel, Atty. Nenita Mahinay, was able to obtain an Entry of Judgment from the Supreme Court (SC) en banc on the petitions of Roxas and Co. for CARP Exemptions on the subject lands.

Consequently, Damayan ng Magsasaka, Mangingisda at Magbubukid ng Bansa (DAMMMBA) sought engagement with the Provincial Agrarian Reform Office in Batangas (PARO) to start the process for perimeter survey for individual as well as collective titling, a realization of more than 20 years of their struggle.