By NITZ ARANCON Correspondent ORGANIZED farmers yesterday decried what they said were abuses committed by police officers during the demolition of some 46 houses at Zone 7-B, Barangay Pladridel in Claveria town, Misamis Oriental on Tuesday. The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) alleged that police officers used tear gas and sprayed demonstrators with water laced with chili peppers. Enerio Ubarde Jr., KMP chairperson, said 46 houses were destroyed displacing 130 families from the 281-hectare property where they have been farming until this week. Ubarde said the farmers tried to form a human barricade to stop the demolition but the police came and succeeded in the dispersal efforts. He said one of the protesters was mauled, and the police seized cellphones to erase video recordings. Ubarde said over 115 hectares are considered alienable and disposable public land while over 109 hectares have been classified as timberland. He said over 43 hectares were awarded by the Department Agrarian Reform (DAR) to the farmers under the government’s agrarian reform program. Ubarde said the KMP and the Misamis Oriental Farmers’ Association (Mofa) were supporting the farmers in Claveria.