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Tag Archives: Farmers

[From the web] How farmers can combat COVID-19?

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Photo from Geonathan Barro FB

“We are fine here in spite of the limited movements of goods due to the lockdown being implemented by the government because our own farm provides us with the commodities we need.” These words of assurance from Teodulo Badillo and his wife Delia, our farmer leaders in Molave, Zamboanga Del Sur who called me up last night to give updates on their situation eased our worries on the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on farmers’ lives.

Teodulo or Dokdok, as he is popularly known, has constantly been practicing agroecology or Diversified Integrated Farming System (DIFS) in local term for 11 years now, constantly making on-farm innovations, leading the social enterprise program of their organization, and unselfishly sharing his knowledge among the farmers in Zamboanga Peninsula Region and in several parts of Mindanao.

In their 1 hectare farm in Barangay Miligan, Dokdok and Delia planted rice, vegetables, fruit trees, herbs, and they also raised goats, native chickens, and ducks – providing them with all-year-round sources of secured and nutritious food, medicines, natural fertilizers, and regular income which is much higher than those organic farmers who depends only on rice.

In a time like this, the couple sees the multi-dimensional benefits of practicing DIFS, giving their commitment to teaching other farmers.

COVID-19 threatens not only our health but, even worst, our food supply, ‘normal’ economic activities and regular sources of income. It is feared that the food crisis will exacerbate in the months to come if the lockdown would probably be prolonged and the situation won’t be back to normal as it was. In the cities, for instance, the supply of food is already becoming quite alarming.

Dokdok and Delia affirm that practicing DIFS makes their family more agile to face this kind of situation, fully believing that DIFS plays an essential element for the sustainability of small-scale farming families and local economies.

#AGILE
#AgroEcoPhilippines
#Agroecology
#COVID19

From the web

[In the news] Farmer gunned down in another attack on the Left -INQUIRER.net

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

A member of a left-wing organization of farmers was gunned down outside his house at Barangay Halapitan, San Fernando town in Bukidnon province on Saturday (June 16) in what appeared to be another attack on the Left.

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Philippine Peasant Movement or KMP) said one of its members, Nonoy Palma, was killed by three gunmen. Palma was a member of KMP affiliate Kasama-Bukidnon.
KMP cited witnesses saying the gunmen rode a single motorcycle and one was recognized as a local militiaman.

The killing of Palma came hours after the killing of fwo human rights defenders in the province of Sorsogon which a leader of left-wing Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) linked to a shift in the government’s counterinsurgency tactic that now targets noncombatant members of left-wing groups.

In Sorsogon, two still unnamed men calmly approached the human rights workers Nelly Bagasala and Ryan Hubilla as they were paying their tricycle fare and shot them repeatedly, killing the two on fhe spot.

Click the link to read more:

In the News

[In the news] Kin of Negros ‘massacre’ victim hoping for justice -INQUIRER.net

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Cynthia Avelino will bury her father Ismael and uncle Edgardo Avelino on Monday morning at the Canlaon City Cemetery in Negros Oriental.

Ismael, 53, will be entombed on top of the tomb of their mother, Criscenciana, while Edgardo will be buried on top of the tomb of their brother-in-law, Joel Gallenero.

The city government gave their families P12,000 for each of their coffins.

Two days later, their remains will be subjected to an autopsy to determine and document why how they died.

But for Cynthia and her family, their will loves ones were mercilessly killed by police officer in a coordinated military-backed operation on March 30, purportedly to serve search warrants for unlicensed firearms on suspected members or supporters of the New People’s Army.

“We hope they will have justice,” Cynthia told the INQUIRER.

[In the news] CHR identifies ‘common patterns’ in police ops that killed 14 in Negros -GMAnews

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

CHR identifies ‘common patterns’ in police ops that killed 14 in Negros

The Commision on Human Rights-Central Visayas has identified common patterns in the deaths of 14 individuals during police operations in Negros Oriental.

Based on their initial probe, CHR-Region 7 Investigation Chief Leo Villarino said that most of the slain individuals were moved out of sight of their relatives during the arrest.

“What is common in these incidents that occurred is ‘yung pareho ‘yung pagsakalay ng mga operatiba, pinapalabas sa bahay ‘yung mga nasa loob tapos iniiwan ‘yung mga biktima na napaslang sa loob,” Villarino said in an interview on GMA News TV’s Quick Response Team.

“Napapansin din natin na ‘yung mga biktima ay medyo may edad na, nasa senior age na sila eh,” he added.

[In the news] Top cop sacked over farmers’ killing also tagged in 2013 ‘hitman’ slay -ABS-CBN news

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Top cop sacked over farmers’ killing also tagged in 2013 ‘hitman’ slay

A police chief who was recently removed from his post over the killing of 14 farmers in Negros Oriental was also involved in a controversial arrest effort that killed an alleged hitman 6 years ago, a congressman said Wednesday.

Erstwhile Negros Oriental police chief Col. Raul Tacaca was head of the Batangas provincial intelligence branch in 2013 when operatives tried to arrest suspected hitman Fernando Morales, who was killed for supposedly fighting authorities, said Bayan Muna Partylist-Rep. Carlos Zarate.

The suspect allegedly worked for suspected jueteng lord Victor Siman, said Zarate. Siman and 12 others were killed in an separate alleged rubout in Atimonan, Quezon that same year.

Morales’ family, however, said police did not present any warrant before dragging him outside their home, where he was repeatedly shot.

[In the news] Negros Oriental residents terrified in wake of killing of 14 -INQUIRER.net

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Negros Oriental residents terrified in wake of killing of 14

Residents terrified by the killing of 14 persons in coordinated police and military operations in Negros Oriental on Saturday have been sleeping in the middle of sugarcane fields, plantations, and in other people’s houses.

Citing a report from a priest in the community, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said the residents were afraid to sleep in their own houses because they had attended a meeting of a farmer’s group whose leaders and members were among those killed by police and soldiers.

The Catholic Church is organizing psycho-social interventions to help those severely affected deal with the trauma aside from spiritual services to the grieving, Alminaza said.

[Statement] Human rights are once again threatened and violated in the island of Negros! -KAISAHAN

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Human rights are once again threatened and violated in the island of Negros!

Photo by KAISAHAN

KAISAHAN, a legal rights NGO advocating on the land rights of landless farmers in Negros Occidental, condemns the brutal killing of the fourteen (14) farmers of Negros Oriental during a series of joint operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) last weekend. Police reports suspected the victims as members of the New People’s Army (NPA) and were shot because they allegedly resisted arrest.

They were killed in front of their families.
There was no proof that the victims resisted.
The officers entered the victims’ homes without a warrant.

A massacre can never be justified, may it be of suspected rebels or criminals.

The “Sagay 9” massacre, the murder of human rights lawyer, Atty. Ben Ramos, and the killing of “Negros 14”—all of these happened within 5 months on the same island. This is an unfortunate proof that “red-tagging” endangers the life of our farmers and the marginalized communities who do nothing but work hard for their basic needs, and reclaim their rights.

As we pay our respects to the victims and their families, may this be a reminder that incidents like this are a clear indication that the rule of law in our country is dying and needs saving.

The consecutive killings may have created fear among development workers and human rights defenders on the ground, but rest assured that KAISAHAN, along with other development organizations working in and outside the Negros island, will never be threatened and disheartened by fear. Now more than ever is the best time to intensify our advocacies, and resist this culture of impunity and violence created by the current regime!

We demand an impartial investigation and a STOP to these brutal killings!
Let the Rule of Law prevail!
Justice for Negros 14!
Justice for all the victims of rights-related violence!

#StopKillingFarmers

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Statement

[Statement] Investigate killing of 14 people in police operations -AIph

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Investigate killing of 14 people in police operations

Amnesty International is alarmed at the killing of 14 people in Negros Oriental province, in southern Philippines, on 30 March. The victims, many of whom were identified by their families and by local groups as farmers and community leaders, were killed in three separate locations during police operations supposedly targeting “communist rebels” accused of illegal weapons possession. Several other people, including some known to be members of local political organizations, were arrested and detained in the operations.

Amnesty International calls on the Philippine government to ensure an immediate and effective investigation into the killings, with a view to clarifying the circumstances of the incidents, and assessing whether there were legitimate grounds for the use of lethal force. If it is determined that unlawful lethal force was used, those reasonably suspected of criminal responsibility must be brought to justice in fair trials. The government must also respect the rights of those arrested and currently detained.

The victims’ families have made statements that point to human rights violations in the conduct of these police operations. According to their accounts, soldiers and heavily-armed police officers – some of whom were in uniform but wearing masks or sunglasses, or with their nameplates covered – knocked once, and then barged into houses and forced family members to go outside. The targets of the operations were reportedly told to remain inside, and were beaten and then shot dead. At least two were brought to the hospital via an ambulance several hours later and declared dead on arrival. Many of them reportedly suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including one who sustained as many as eight wounds, in the neck, chest and stomach. The families said that the victims were unarmed. In several cases, the police reportedly failed to present a search or arrest warrant.

If the families’ accounts are accurate, the officers who carried out these operations may have extrajudicially executed the suspects, in violation of the non-derogable right to life protected under article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which the Philippines is a party. Whenever the unlawful use of force is suspected, in particular by state officials, and where such force has led to injury or death, prompt, impartial and effective investigations must take place. In addition, under Article 2(3) of the ICCPR, states parties undertake to ensure an effective remedy for persons whose rights have been violated, which must include both reparations and accountability for those responsible.

The UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials are also instructive in assessing the officers’ recourse to lethal force. They provide that in carrying out their duties, law enforcement officials “shall, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms. They may use force and firearms only if other means remain ineffective or without any promise of achieving the intended result.” They further state that: “whenever the lawful use of force and firearms is unavoidable, law enforcement officials shall exercise restraint in such use and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offence and the legitimate objective to be achieved; minimize damage and injury, and respect and preserve human life; ensure that assistance and medical aid are rendered to any injured or affected persons at the earliest possible moment; [and] ensure that relatives or close friends of the injured or affected person are notified at the earliest possible moment.” Amnesty International calls on the Philippine government to expeditiously carry out a thorough and impartial investigation into the killings.

If sufficient evidence indicating extrajudicial executions is found, any officers reasonably suspected of criminal responsibility, including those with command responsibility, should be prosecuted in fair proceedings. We also urge the government to reiterate to members of its security forces the need for full respect for international and domestic laws and standards on policing, law enforcement, and the use of force and firearms. Further, we ask the government to respect the rights of those arrested and currently detained, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the ICCPR against arbitrary detention, as well as on their right to be informed of the charges against them, their entitlement to trial, and their right to compensation if their arrest or detention is found unlawful.

Background

According to media reports, simultaneous police operations were carried out after midnight on 30 March in three areas of Negros Oriental province: in Canlaon City, and in the towns of Manjuyod and Santa Catalina. Police said the operations were aimed at serving search and arrest warrants for illegal possession of firearms and explosives against suspected members and supporters of New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist party of the Philippines. By the end of the operations, eight people were killed in Canlaon, four in Manjuyod, and two in Santa Catalina. All of them, according to the police, were suspected members of the New People’s Army and were killed because they resisted arrest. At least 12 other suspects were arrested and detained, including some who were identified as members or leaders of local organizations.

Source: www.amnesty.org.ph

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Statement

[Statement] Drug War’-Style Lawlessness Spirals in Philippines- 14 Farmers, Peasant Leader Killed in Negros ‘Anti-Crime Operations’

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

‘Drug War’-Style Lawlessness Spirals in Philippines
14 Farmers, Peasant Leader Killed in Negros ‘Anti-Crime Operations’
By Carlos H. Conde
Researcher, Asia Division
Human Rights Watch

“Drug war”-style lawlessness in the Philippines may be spiraling out of control.

Philippine authorities said the police and military killed 14 people during anti-crime operations over the weekend in the central Philippine province of Negros Oriental, but the circumstances of the deaths are unclear.

The police claim they had search warrants for illegal weapons and that they killed suspects who fought back, including several insurgents from the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Among those killed was Edgardo Avelino, 59, a longtime chairman of a local farmers’ group affiliated with the Peasant Movement of the Philippines, a union of agricultural workers. Seven farmers, two village officials, and several others were also killed. Local activists say that a dozen residents were arrested and taken into custody.

Witnesses and relatives dispute the police claims, saying that these were more like “drug war”-style killings. Local human rights groups also drew the comparison.

Since June 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs” has seen the police carry out thousands of extrajudicial killings of alleged drug dealers and users. Research by Human Rights Watch and others shows the police often falsely claim that they were acting in self-defense, and plant guns and drugs on victims. Expanding these murderous tactics to other realms of abusive “law enforcement” would be unsurprising.

Violence isn’t new to Negros. The island has been plagued by land disputes, and security forces frequently claim farmers and land reform activists are armed communist rebels, to justify attacks on the former. Killings have intensified over the past six months. The so-called “Sagay Massacre” in Negros Occidental in October 2018 left nine dead. And in December 2018, police gunned down six people in Guihulngan in Negros Oriental.

Security forces implicated in unlawful killings in Negros have rarely been brought to justice. By playing the “self-defense” card, the authorities will make getting redress for victims even harder.

A prompt, impartial and independent investigation into the Negros Oriental killings is desperately needed, and concerned governments should be raising their concerns about the growing violence. Of course, an investigation will not end the lawlessness engulfing the country, but it might help stop things from getting worse.

——-

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Statement

[In the news] Wife relates killing of husband, brother in PNP, Army ops -INQUIRER.net

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Wife relates killing of husband, brother in PNP, Army ops

Ismael Avelino was sleeping at home with his wife Leonora and two young children in Barangay Panubigan in Canlaon City in Negros Oriental on Saturday.

At around 2:30 a.m., they were roused from sleep when at least six heavily armed men wearing masks barged into their house and ordered them to lie face down on the floor.

Leonora and two of their children, aged 10 and 5, were dragged outside their house. Ismael was left inside.

The 53-year-old Ismael, both hands raised, smiled and said to their 10-year-old son: “Take care of your mother and sister.”

Outside the house, Leonora and their children heard gunshots.

Read full article @newsinfo.inquirer.net

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In the News

[Statement] Rice liberalization is a clear abandonment of the local rice farmers and industry -PMCJ

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

STATEMENT ON THE PASSAGE OF RICE TARIFFICATION ACT

The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) calls on the government to institute more safeguards and protection for rice farmers and the rice industry now that the rice tariffication act has been signed into law.

On February 14, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 11203, also known as the Rice Tariffication Act, which will lift the quantitative restrictions on rice imports and allow the private sector to import ‘unlimited’ rice with much ease as long as it pays the tariff set by the law. Duterte and his economic managers asserted that it would address the urgent need to improve the availability and affordability of rice in the country.

Rice liberalization is a clear abandonment of the local rice farmers and industry

Ever since the Philippines liberalized agriculture, many of its agricultural products failed to compete with the cheaper counterparts of the Southeast Asian countries. The price of the agricultural product has always been the determinant in its viability in the market as shown by the cheaper onions and garlic imports vs. the expensive locally produced ones. Eventually, the number of Filipino farmers producing onions and garlic dwindle and lands devoted to producing these products have been converted for other use. This has been the hard lesson the Philippines got from agricultural liberalization, and fears that this is happening again to rice, the most basic staple of Filipinos.

With the flooding of cheaper imported rice in the local market, how can the local rice farmers compete with their foreign counterparts? Farmers will be forced to sell off their harvest to a much lower price amidst the increasing local cost of production. Although the law provides that collected tariffs will be allocated to farm mechanization, seed development, credit assistance, and training services to help farmers adjust, it will still take time for every farmer to actually benefit from it. And this is even under the assumption that the law will successfully be implemented. Farmers would still have to endure the sudden loss of income they will incur upon full implementation of the rice tariffication act, trapping them further in the cycle of poverty.

Given their poor economic conditions, compounded with the lack of implementation for policies protecting small-scale farmers, incomplete implementation of agrarian reform, degradation of watersheds and forests for irrigation, and now opening up the rice industry to other players, the number of farmers involved in rice farming will most likely shrink as well as the agricultural lands devoted to it. Shift to other profitable commodities is expected, or worse the conversion of rice lands to non-agricultural uses.

On the other hand, there is no guarantee that rice prices will lower and stabilize despite the influx of cheaper imported rice. With the new law, the private sector now holds the power to control and dictate market prices. The National Food Authority, which had the previous mandate of stabilizing prices, is now merely tasked of maintaining sufficient rice buffer stock intended for calamities and emergencies. This is a double whammy for the poor farmers being both producers and consumers of rice.

Rice liberalization is not the key to food security, but self-sufficiency

Rice liberalization is a myopic move from the government as it fails to recognize the current global climate crisis. The world, as it is, already goes through the dramatic consequences of climate change on food production. And this is expected to get worse in 12 years time, according to IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degree Celsius, if no unprecedented transitions in all aspects of society are done. By 2030, there will be a drastic decline in agricultural yields including rice, corn, and wheat. Rice yields reduction will reach up to 10% for every 1 degree Celsius increase in temperature, or even higher for climate vulnerable countries such as those in Asia.

Vietnam and Thailand, the world’s largest rice exporters and the main sources of imported rice in the Philippines, will soon not be able to export the same volume of rice as they do now because of the worsening climate change impacts to their agriculture sector. Given this situation, the Philippines will face another rice crisis in a few years if its rice industry will remain import-dependent.

Safeguarding food security does not mean sustaining the country’s food supply through whatever means, in this case, importation. It means protecting the local production and transforming it to an adaptive, resilient, and self-sufficient industry that can cater to the local demands for food. At the same time, it means putting a premium on the rights and well-being of local food producers and building their capacity to sustain the local food demands. A country with more than enough domestic food supply is in a better position to face the impending food crisis due to climate change than a country with an import-dependent food system.

In the event of signing the Rice Tariffication Act into law, PMCJ calls on the government to expand and develop local rice production by ensuring that agricultural services, regulation of the cost of production and access to low-interest credit and grants are available to small rice farmers. Protection and expansion of rice farms and small farmers is the key to climate impacts on rice and food production. Conservation of watersheds and forests for irrigation and water supply is critical to sustaining agricultural productivity, as well as complying with our mitigation targets. Further, it calls on the government to stop the tide of liberalization of agriculture and institute reforms and policy to enhance and develop local agricultural production devoted to food consumption of the 100 million Filipinos.

Statement

[Press Release] Rice Tariffication Law, to Impoverish More Farmers and Increase Migration and Exploitation -CTUHR

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Rice Tariffication Law, to Impoverish More Farmers and Increase Migration and Exploitation

“When a new law is passed and government promises that it will improve our lives, the people, especially the poor, get scared and angry. It is the same feeling when President Duterte signed the Rice Tariffication Law last February 15 because the same argument or promises were used when TRAIN law was passed on December 2017. It was the same promise when the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 and Oil Deregulation law of 1995 were passed. Fishermen remain to be the poorest social sector, while agriculture has fallen drastically and the poor majority is choking from unhampered price increases and burdensome taxes, ” said Daisy Arago, Executive Director of CTUHR.

“The Duterte administration took a 360 degree turn in signing this law, as rice importation cannot be a solution to the higher rice prices and ailing local rice production. Definitely, the farmers have more reasons to protest because their locally produced rice cannot compete with that of imported rice due to high costs of production and lack of subsidy and support from the government. This law will only throw farmers into more hunger, increase internal migration to cities and expose more workers to whims of corporations and manpower agencies,” exclaimed Daisy Arago, Executive Director of CTUHR.

CTUHR added that even without the law, farmers and their children are migrating to urban areas, in search of jobs or to escape poverty from the countryside. With this law, farmers will be more compelled to leave homes and find better opportunities in the urban. And with the continuous downward direction of job creation and job stability in the country, these farmers-turned-workers will become even more vulnerable to precarious and flexible employment that are often low-paying, dangerous, unsafe and unstable.

The Rice Tariffication Law lifts limits on rice importation and opens the doors to more imported rice, which will be sold at cheaper prices in the local market. The NFA will no longer supply low-priced rice to the local market, as this becomes the province of importers. “Where does this leave the poorest of the poor who can only avail the cheapest rice (NFA rice) in the market? Where is the assurance that rice prices will decrease?” Arago asked.

CTUHR also expressed concern for the employees of the National Food Authority (NFA) who will be affected with the enactment of this law. The law strips the NFA of most of its responsibilities and powers. The NFA admitted that the new law would result to job cuts of at least 400 to 1,000 employees. The law will take effect on March 5 and it is expected that the mass layoff will also start immediately.

“Duterte’s TRAIN Law that made brought Filipinos into deeper poverty is intensely opposed and fought. This Rice Tarrification Law should be fought with the same weight. We need not wait to the false promises of these laws, before we sounded our opposition, as these laws only serve the interests of the few and strengthen the neoliberal agenda of the Duterte administration, at the expense of the toiling masses”, Arago ended.

Reference:
Daisy Arago
CTUHR Executive Director
Tel # 0916 248 4876 / 718 00 26

Press Release

[Statement] Enacted Rice Tariffication Law Will Not Resolve Food Security -PNFSP

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Enacted Rice Tariffication Law Will Not Resolve Food Security

Philippine Network of Food Security Programmes condemns President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s signing of the Rice Tariffication Bill. This had just justifies that there is no hope for the Philippines to achieve food security. Hence, it will further liberalize Philippine rice industry by replacing quantitative restrictions due to uncontrolled rice imports, and will displace rice farmers and worsen poverty and hunger. It will not resolve the Filipino’s problem on high prices of rice and other agricultural commodities, but will only worsen the inaccessibility to buy food for their families. The law is extremely in favor to rice cartel, traders and capitalist and not to common Filipinos, especially the farming sector, who are suffering due to extreme and unprecedented economic instability.

The government is using high inflation to justify rice sector liberalization according to long-standing demands of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and big foreign agricultural exporters. Under the conditions of neo-liberal GATT-WTO guidelines, all country signatories can only “monitor” the flow of economic mobility. “Regulation” and “control” is within the task of the international body, not local body. For the past years, the Philippine government intervention in the rice market is lessened while quantitative restrictions on rice imports are “replaced” with “tariffs”.

The Rice Tariffication Law removed strong, decisive and tough government control on all agricultural commodities and obliged domestic market to join and spend unnecessary resources to global rice market and competition. The law is a burden to all Filipinos especially the 60 million poorest of the poor families. On the other hand, uncontrolled rice imports will drive rice farmers into worse poverty. If the Philippines imports two million metric tons of palay, for instance, some 500,000 of around 2.4 million rice farmers will be adversely affected. Even the government’s own Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) projects a 29% decline in rice farmers’ incomes from a Php4-decrease in palay farm gate prices when rice tariffication is implemented.

In a country where landlessness, joblessness and homelessness are proliferating, the law is a deadly decision against Filipino rice farmers wherein domestically-produced rice is unnecessarily expensive because of “long-standing government neglect of the agriculture sector.” No more than 5% of the national budget has been given to agriculture over the last two decades. The Duterte administration does not correct this, but instead passed a law that will further burden the Filipinos.

There is no guarantee that retail rice prices will be lower in the long run with unrestricted importation. Relying on rice imports makes the country vulnerable to higher world market prices as well as to rice production and export decisions of other countries. Government’s neoliberal prioritization of food imports and production of crops for export should be upturned. The Philippine government should instead strengthen the local rice industry such as rural aid like free water irrigation, free calamity subsidy, post-harvest facility, and agrarian mechanization and boosting of local market. Of course, this begins with free land distribution to all willing tillers, followed by giving substantial support for rice producers, and taking control of the market to ensure reasonable prices for rice and other agricultural produce. Philippine agriculture should be strengthened with abundant government support instead of being prematurely opened up to inexpensive foreign government-subsidized import commodities from abroad. ###

For reference:
Renmin Vizconde
Executive Director

Statement

[Press Release] Labor rights group cries justice for 9 massacred farm workers in Negros Occidental -CTUHR

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Labor rights group cries justice for 9 massacred farm workers in Negros Occidental

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) condemns in strongest possible term the massacre of nine sugarcane workers, including four women and two minors, in Hacienda Nene, Barangay Bulanon, Sagay City, Negros Occidental yesterday October 20, 2018. While resting in a hut at 9pm last night, around 40 armed men strafed them with bullets. According to reports, there are indications that most victims were shot at the head and atleast three of them were burned.

The victims, who were all members of National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NSFW), together with other landless farmers of Hacienda Nene had just begun their Land Cultivation Activity or ‘Bungkalan’ in the 75 hectares area of land. The said land owned by a certain Carmen Tolentino, is confirmed to be covered by government’s agrarian reform program yet remains to be undistributed.

It is as if not enough that farm workers in plantations, including those in Hacienda Nene, have been suffering from awful and slave-like conditions, receiving pay far below the living wage and became consistent targets of intimidation and red-tagging by state forces in order to delegitimize their struggles. This recent brutal killings of farmers just in time for the National Peasant Month and amidst soaring prices of rice and inflation merely reflects the Duterte administration’s apathy and atrocity towards farmers who toil to feed us every day.

The nine massacred farm workers add up to the 163 peasants killed under Duterte administration. Undeniably, President Duterte’s malicious and irresponsible tagging of peasants and workers’ organizations, human rights defenders, and dissenters as ‘communists’ has led to escalating attacks on their civil and political rights.

CTUHR also slammed the statement of Senior Supt. Rodolfo Castil, Chief of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, saying that one of the slain victims was armed with calibre .38. The labor group finds this statement ridiculous and an obvious attempt to use “tokhang-style” planting of evidence to turn the tables and justify the brutal attack.

The unfolding of events over the past week which include the illegal arrest of labor and peasant organizers in separate incidents in Laguna and Nueva Ecija, abduction of two activists in Central Luzon and massacre of 9 sugar workers indicate how the government shamelessly disrespects and gravely violates human rights. For the people, these attacks are all but reason to tirelessly continue the struggle for just wages, dignified work and genuine land reform.

CTUHR adds its voice in demanding justice for Sagay 9 and supports independent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.

MEDIA RELEASE
21 October 2018

Reference:
Daisy Arago
CTUHR Executive Director
Tel # 0916248 4876 / 4110256

Press Release

[People] Lupa at Hustisya para sa mga Magsasaka: Mensahe ni Walden Bello sa paglulunsad ng Martsa ng Magsasaka

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Lupa at Hustisya para sa mga Magsasaka: Mensahe ni Walden Bello sa paglulunsad ng Martsa ng Magsasaka
12 April 2016

Isang maalab na pagbati sa inyong lahat. Narito tayo ngayon sa Sariaya upang ilunsad ang isang martsa na naglalayong kalampagin at gisingin ang ating gobyerno. Gobyernong patuloy na isinasawalang bahala ang sunod-sunod na dagok na naglulugmok sa sektor agraryo sa gutom, kawalan ng katarungan, at pagkait sa karapatan sa lupa.

Nagulantang ang bansa sa bangis na ipinakita ng pamahalaan sa mga kapatid nating magbubukid na nagprotesta sa Kidapawan. Nakalulungkot na kailangan pang humantong sa ganitong uri ng karahasan bago mapansin ng buong bayan ang krisis na kinasasangkutan ng mga magsasaka—hindi lang sa Mindanao kundi sa buong Pilipinas.

Dito lang sa Sariaya, nakaamba ang pagkabawi ng Certificate of Land Ownership (CLOA) na sumasakop sa 4,800 ektarya. Halos apat na libong pamilya ang mawawalan ng lupang binubungkal kapag maisapinal ang pagkansela ng kanilang CLOA. Sa Leyte naman, hindi pa rin hawak ng labing apat na libong magbubukid ang mahigit labindalawang libong CLOA na dapat ay naipamahagi nila, at naiulat na ng DAR na accomplished land distribution. Dahil wala sa kanila ang kanilang CLOA, hindi makatanggap ng tulong ang mga magbubukid nang nasalanta sila ng bagyong Yolanda. Walang habas pa rin ang kumbersyon ng lupa at kakulangan sa suportang serbisyo na ilang dekada na ring pinapasan ninyong magsasaka. At hindi pa rin umuusad ang ipinangakong pagsasakumpleto sa implementasyon ng repormang agraryo sa bisa ng CARPER. At tulad ng nakita natin sa Kidapawan, hindi lang karapatang agraryo kundi pati karapatang pantao ng mga magsasaka ang niyuyarakan ng mga puwersa ng pamahalaan. Nang may 300 pamilya ng magsasaka ang napalayas sa Hacienda Dolores, Porac, Pampanga noong 2014, dalawa ang pinatay, habang ikinulong at hindi pa nakakalaya hanggang ngayon ang pinuno nila.

Kaisa at kaagapay ninyo ako sa inyong pakikibaka. Batid ninyo na sa aking panunungkulan sa Kongreso, repormang agraryo at rural development ang isa sa mga naging pangunahing tutok ko. Kung palaring mahalal sa Senado ngayong Mayo, maaasahan ninyo ang patuloy kong pagkakampeon sa inyong interes. Ngunit hindi lang ako ang tumatakbo, at hindi lang Senado ang ating ihahalal ngayong Mayo. Kailangan nating usigin at usisain ang lahat ng mga tumatakbo—lalo na para sa pagka-Pangulo—kung ano ang maitutugon nila, hindi lamang sa karahasan at kawalan ng katarungang nagaganap laban sa inyong ranggo ngayon. Kailangan din nilang ipahayag kung ano ang posisyon nila ukol sa kapalaran ng CARPER at ng coco levy funds (kasama na ang 20% San Miguel Corporation shares na iginawad kay Danding Cojuangco ng Korte Suprema). Tandaan din natin na ang susunod na Pangulo ay mag-aappoint ng hanggang 10 Supreme Court justices sa loob ng kanyang termino. Marapat lang nating matamo ngayon pa lang ang kanilang panata at commitment upang masingil natin ang sinumang mahalal.

Sa ganang akin, manalo man ako o matalo, hindi ako titigil sa pagtataguyod sa minimithi nating lahat—repormang pansakahan, seguridad sa pagkain, at masagana at maunlad na kita at kabuhayan para sa ating mga magsasaka. Mabuhay ang martsa ng magsasaka! Alam kong simula pa lang ito ng tuloy-tuloy na pagkilos ng lahat ng batayang sektor, kasama na ang ating mga kapatid na manggagawa sa darating na Mayo Uno. Sa maigting na pakikibaka ng ating pinagakaisang puwersa, matatamo rin natin ang dignidad sa kanayunan at sa buong bayan. Mabuhay tayong lahat!

People

[Right-up] Pagpupugay at Pagsaludo sa mga Totoong Artista at Alagad ng Sining ng Bayan by Jose Mario De Vega

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Pagpupugay at Pagsaludo sa mga Totoong Artista at Alagad ng Sining ng Bayan
Ang munting sanaysay na ito ay aking pagbibigay pugay at pagsaludo sa mga makataong artista ng bayan na sa aking paningin ay mga totoong alagad ng sining.

Batid na nang karamihan ang nangyaring kabalintunaan at kagaguhan sa Kidapawan.

Saan ka nakakita ng bansa na nagdedemonstrasyon ang mga magsasaka na ilang buwan nang gutom at tunay na hikahos gawa ng pagtuyot na dulot ng EL Nino, upang humingi ng tulong, ayuda at bigas sa pamahalaan, ngunit sa halip na sila ay tulungan ay karahasan at kalupitan ang kanilang natanggap?

Onli in the Pelipins!

Sila ay nanghihingi ng bigas, ngunit bala ang kanilang natamo!

Hindi na sila nakakuha ng bigas, sila pa’y dinahas at ngayon, bukod sa kagutuman ay marami sa kanila ang kinasuhan ng putang-inang pamahalaan ng iba’t-iba at samu-saring mga kaso.

Tingnan po ninyo ang kababuyan at inhustisya ng gagong estado na ito.

Kamakailan ay pinayagan nila si satanistang napoles (siya ang prinsipal na utak sa likod ng PDAF Scam) na magpiyansa, pero ang mga patay-gutom at hikahos na mga magsasaka at Lumad (na bigas at ayuda lamang ang hinihingi) ng Kidapawan ay hinahabol nila ng mga patong-patong na mga kaso’t asulto!

Delubyo, indulto at pahirap ang punyetang pamahalaang ito sa mga tao, lalong-lalo na sa mga maliliit!

This is indeed a fucking “republic”, to say the least!

May mga gago at mangmang at tukmol naman na sa halip na makiisa sa mga kapatid nating mga magsasaka at Lumad ay sinisi pa sila. Kesyo may NPA daw sa kanilang hanay, kesyo sila daw ang nagpasimula ng kaguluhan at tensyon at kung ano-ano pang katarantaduhan at nutnutang estupidong mga pahayag na hindi mapapasubaliang magmumula lamang sa mga malalansang bunganga sa hanay at uri ng mga pun—– haciendero, burgesya, ilustrado, elitista, creole, mga alta sosyedad, mga kapitalista at higit sa lahat, mga kampon ni Satanas at mga inapo ni Lucifer.

Sumasang-ayon ako kay Propesor at tumatakbong Senador Walden Bello sa kanyang tugon hinggil sa kesyo kasalanan daw ng mga Komunista at mga Makakaliwa ang buong pangyayari, para bang ang mga ito ang gumawa ng kagutuman at siyang sanhi ng pagiging manhid, tanga, hindi handa, hindi makatao, baliko at huwad na pamahalaang ito na nagpapanggap na tuwid, ngunit ang buong katotohanan ay tuwad at sagad sa kakupalan.

Ito ang pahayag ni Ka Walden:

“External agitator? I beg your pardon, sir. That’s me.

“If ever there was a demonstration that was driven by hunger, to which so-called “leftist agitators” were incidental, it was the Kidapawan rally of hungry peasants and Lumads. When even the mainstream press has discounted the role of “extreme leftists,” it is disconcerting that some supposedly progressive voices continue to insinuate the “provocative role” of “external agitators.” If I had been in Kidapawan, I would have helped organize our hungry compatriots into a march and rally for food in the teeth of threats by the police and the local administration to disperse us with force. That is what progressives do, and such actions on our part will always be labelled as “provocative” by the establishment. A rally of the hungry is no dinner party: one takes risks, one pushes the envelope, one aggressively asserts the right to rice.

“To say that farmers and their families are manipulated by organizers is to claim they have no minds of their own. It is rank elitism and it’s a lie. So once and for all, let’s bury the external agitator theory and lay the blame where it belongs: an undisciplined police force that did the bidding of a callous local administration and a bungling national government. And while we’re at it, we might as well also bury the Daang Matuwid and make sure it’s hypocritical promoters pay dearly for their deeds in four weeks’ time.” (Akin ang sukdulang diin)

Ito naman ang direkta at simpleng sagot ni kapatid na Aiza Seguerra na tuluyang dumurog sa mga lapastangan, hindot at kupal na kontensyon ng lahat ng mga hangal, sinungaling, palalo, mga dayukdok at mga oportunistang ito.

Ito ang kanyang pahayag laban kay kupal at oportunistang talakerang gobernadora daw at mga kampon at kauri niya:

“Dear Governor Lala Mendoza:

“Hindi po nakakain ang pride. Now that the Filipino people are stepping up to help sasabihin nyo insulto sa inyo. Propaganda naman dahil ibang kandidato ang nagbigay ng pledge ng bigas. Kung yung kandidato mo kaya ang nagbigay ng bigas, will you say the same thing? Yan ang hirap sa inyo at mga kampon ninyo eh. Sa gitna ng sakuha eh ang iniisip nyo pa rin ay politika. Kung binigay nyo lang yung hinihiling nila, hindi mangyayari to.

“You were elected to serve the people. They trusted you. But now, there blood is in your hands.

“Tao ang dapat nauuna. Hindi politika.” (Akin ang diin)

Isang linggo na ang lumipas, ang pang-gulo daw ng bansang ito ay ni hindi pa din nagpapahayag ng kung anuman hinggil sa nangyaring Mendiola Massacre Part II. Ito ay nagtulak kay Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles upang sabihin ng tuwiran at direkta na:

“Kakulangan sa pag-aasikaso natin sa pagtulong sa mga mahihirap, na nagpapakain naman sa atin. Sila ang nagdadala ng pagkain sa ating mga hapag – ang mga magsasaka. We should care for them…”

Idinagdag pa ng nasabing pari na:

“Our government will not be a legitimate government unless they make it a priority to protect yun mga kawawa…” (Akin ang sukdulang diin)

Muli, hayaan po ninyong muli kong itanong ang aking katanungan sa itaas:

“Saan ka nakakita ng bansa na nagdedemonstrasyon ang mga magsasaka na ilang buwan nang gutom at tunay na hikahos gawa ng pagtuyot na dulot ng EL Nino, upang humingi ng tulong, ayuda at bigas sa pamahalaan, ngunit sa halip na sila ay tulungan ay karahasan at kalupitan ang kanilang natanggap?”

Ibig ko ding idagdag na, bakit lagpas isang linggo na matapos ang nasabing madugong pangyayari ay ni wala man lamang pahayag na personal ang tinatawag na “presidente” daw ng bayang ito?

Ganun ba siya ka-busy? Ganun ba siya kaabala sa kanyang pag-iintindi sa buong kalalagayan ng bansa?

Ganito ba ang turing nya sa sinasabi nyang mga boss daw niya, diumano?

Putang-ina to the max!

Onli in the Pelipins!

Kakatwa, ngunit tunay na nakatutuwa at nakatataba ng puso na matapos ang pangyayari sa Kidapawan ay agad na nagsiresponde’t tumugon, tumulong at nakiisa ang mga artista’t mga tunay na mga alagad ng sining ng Bayan.

Dagling nagtungo roon si kapatid na Robin Padilla, hindi lamang para makiisa’t dumamay sa ating mga kapatid na mga magsasaka, kundi upang bigyan din sila ng mga sako-sakong mga bigas.

Mabuhay ka, kapatid na Binoe!

Hindi din matatawaran ang ambag at pakikiisang tunay ng mag-asawang Aiza Segurra at Lisa Dino.

Bukod sa kanilang suportang-moral mula pa noong umpisa, sila din ang nanguna’t nagpasimula ng pagkuha’t paglikom ng mga tulong at donasyong salapi na siyang gagamiting pangpiyansa ng mga kapatid nating patay-gutom na mga magsasaka’t Lumad na sa halip na tulungan ng gagong pamahalaan ay kinasuhan pa!

Mabuhay kayo!

Pagpupugay din ang ibig kong ipaabot kay Binibining Nora Aunor! Mabuhay ka Ate Guy! Tama ka, kahit noon pa! Walang himala, sapagkat ang himala ay nasa puso ng tao, nasa puso nating lahat! Mabuhay po kayo! Kayo ay hindi lamang tunay na artista ng Bayan, kundi lantay na Pambasang Alagad ng Sining! Mabuhay po kayo!

Pasasalamat at pagpupugay din kina kapatid na Angel Locsin, magkapatid na Anne at Jasmine Curtis, Daniel Padilla at sa lahat po nang nagbigay suporta’t pakikisa para sa labang ito. Mabuhay po kayo!

Maliwanag na ipinapakita ng inyong akto’t gawi na madilim man ang mga alapaap at ulap na dumaraan sa aking papawirin, ay tunay na may pag-asa at muling sisilab ang maluwalhati at makatarungang sikat ni Amang Araw.

Muli, mabuhay kayo mga kapatid! Mabuhay po kayo! Mabuhay po kayo! Mabuhay po kayo!!!!

Tuloy ang Himagsikan!

Padayon!

#BIGASHINDIBALA!

#MAYPAGASA!!!!
Jose Mario Dolor De Vega
Unibersidad de Manila
Instruktor ng Pilosopiya at Agham-Panlipunan

Right-Up

[Press Release] DIGNIDAD Alliance joins Farmers March – Quezon Province to Quezon City

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

DIGNIDAD Alliance joins Farmers March – Quezon Province to Quezon City:
Walk for Land, Right to food, Livelihoods, the Full Recovery of Coco Levy Fund
and a Life of Dignity for All

Hundreds of farmers will lead a “Walk for Land, Right to Food, Livelihoods, the Full Recovery of Coco Levy Fund and a Life of Dignity for All,” from Sariaya, Quezon to the Department of Agrarian Reform in Quezon City on April 12 to 20, 2016. The eight-day march that shall pass through Laguna, Muntinlupa, Baclaran, and Manila will highlight the rural poor’s issues, namely: land rights, agrarian reform, right to food, and coco levy.

“This is an important and symbolic expression of grassroots people’s demand for a life of dignity.” Buhay na may Dignidad para sa Lahat or DIGNIDAD Alliance supports this farmers-led activity to demand for right to food as well as other social protection measures that will ensure a life of dignity for all, DIGNIDAD leaders announced in a press conference today.

Ric Reyes of Walden Bello-Dignidad Campaign explained the failure of agrarian reform, the so-called centerpiece program under the 1987 Constitution which promised to promote equity and social justice. “Land distribution barely moved under the current Administration despite a relatively stronger law, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER). Last year’s accomplishment of only 30,000 hectares out of the target of 205,000 hectares shows the depth of CARPER implementation paralysis.”

“Even the reformed lands are being reversed. One of the causes of which is the belated application for exemption filed by former landowners by invoking DOJ Opinion 44, series of 1990 that exempts from CAPR the lands reclassified into non-agricultural uses prior to 1988,” Reyes added.

Jojo Clavo from Katarungan lamented that in Sariaya, Quezon, such reversal will result in the cancellation of Certificate of Land Ownership Award affecting 2,000 families of farmer-beneficiaries. “Land reform reversals undermine the economic and political gains of agrarian communities whose lives have been vastly improved by the agrarian reform process. These also have dire consequences to the food security situation of the country in general.”

Clavo also raised that the 200 billion-peso Coco Levy Fund is another major issue that has a big impact on farmers like him. “The coco levy fund portion recovered so far, estimated at more than PhP 76 B, is still unutilized due to the failure of Congress to legislate the proposed Coconut Levy Trust Fund Bill. Meanwhile, Executive Orders 179 and 180 on Coco Levy, issued by President Aquino in March 2015, which could have already benefited the farmers are still stuck at the Supreme Court after a group identified closely with Danding Cojuangco was granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). The Supreme Court must immediately lift such TRO and re-open the case of the 20% SMC shares to an instrument of justice for small coconut farmers.”

“We join organizations and individuals belonging to Katarungan and Walden Bello-Dignidad Campaign that are among the leading networks of this initiative demanding from our incumbent and incoming officials, as well as in informing the public on the agrarian reform agenda: protection of small farmers and the agriculture sector amidst climate change, and coco levy recovery and utilization,” said DIGNIDAD spokesperson Ana Maria R. Nemenzo.

Dr. Rene Ofreneo, also a spokesperson of DIGNIDAD and chairperson of the Integrated Rural Development Foundation, expressed support to the farmers in Quezon in demanding the immediate return of coco levy funds to the farmers. “Many of the original contributors to the fund are now old, sick and dying. To this day, they have not received any of the benefits of their own money that has been promised to them,” he deplored.

The coco levy assets are now estimated to be about P83 billion according to the Presidential Commission on Good Government, P73 billion of these are in cash (liquidated shares from the food giant San Miguel Corp. and P10 billion are in shares of stock in the United Coconut Planters Bank and oil mills operated by the Coconut Industry Investment Fund. More than 20 million coconut farmers and their families are expected to benefit from the fund coming from around 21,000 coconut-producing villages across the country.

DIGNIDAD also expressed solidarity with the farmers who protested in Kidapawan and condemned police violence and brutality against them. “We warn the police and other state forces from enforcing similar force on our ranks. We are taking to the streets to exercise our valid rights, raise legitimate issues and highlight the suffering experienced by thousands of farmers in the wake of El Niño and climate change. We are compelled to bring the attention of our neglectful government to the dire situation in the provinces,” said Ka Trining Domingo who is also a farmer herself and chairperson of Katipunan ng Bagong Pilipina (KaBaPa).

Nemenzo announced that the farmers-led action also coincides with the start of DIGNIDAD’s Lakbay para sa Buhay na may Dignidad para sa Lahat or Lakbay-Dignidad. She explained that Lakbay-Dignidad highlights the crucial need – not only of farmers and other marginalized sectors, but of the big majority of society – for adequate food and regular jobs, humane housing, reliable health care, free education up to tertiary level, living pension, and safe and efficient public transportation. “These are the basic demands we are pushing for as part of a universal and comprehensive social protection that the new administration must enforce.”

The Lakbay-Dignidad is a combination of caravan, march, and mobile public information activities in parts of northern, central and southern Luzon, as well as in Visayas and Mindanao this April to May 2016. This will be accompanied by a “selfie campaign” wherein people are encouraged to post on Facebook a photo of himself or herself carrying a poster, a placard or flashing a DIGNIDAD “d” sign expressing demand to have a life of dignity.

Nestor Yaranon of Kilos Maralita explained that aside from Laguna and Cavite in southern Luzon, Lakbay-Dignidad will also take place in the provinces of Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Bulacan and in Visayas and Mindanao on April 22 to 30, with public assemblies in key areas.

Buhay na may Dignidad para sa Lahat (DIGNIDAD) is a newly-established broad alliance of grassroots networks from labor, urban poor, women, and peasant sectors, political blocs, party lists, human rights NGOs and issue-based coalitions advancing an urgent agenda that will ensure a life of dignity for all Filipinos. It advocates for a universal, comprehensive, and transformative social protection based on human rights, social justice, solidarity, ecological sustainability and participatory democracy.

PRESS RELEASE
APRIL 11, 2016
Contact: DIGNIDAD Media Liaison Officer Don Pangan (mobile: 09233250192)

Press Release

[Statement] Freedom from Debt Coalition Statement On the bloody dispersal of farmers asking for El Niño aid in Mindanao

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Freedom from Debt Coalition Statement
On the bloody dispersal of farmers asking for El Niño aid in Mindanao

The Freedom from Debt Coalition strongly condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the murder of an innocent protester and the wounding of several more at the barricade line on the Cotabato-Davao Highway allegedly at the hands of members of the Philippine National Police.

The despicable act, perpetrated on unarmed civilians by police officers bearing high-caliber weapons is utterly inexcusable.

The barricade was clearly a peaceful protest action, set up by around 6,000 farmers and lumad from several towns in Cotabato to demand immediate relief from the drought that had ravaged the province since November last year.

The killing is even more abhorrent given that the protesters had put up the blockade merely to demand government support to stave off the near-famine conditions brought about by the El Nino-induced drought. They had braved the scorching summer sun, hoping the government that had failed to prepare for a calamity that had been predicted two years before would finally sense the urgency of the crisis. Instead, they were told to leave or face the government’s wrath. Soon after, the shooting started, leaving over a dozen casualties in its wake.

It is a grave indictment of the prevailing system when the poor and hungry who exercise their legitimate, constitutionally-guaranteed right to demand government aid are instead met with bullets from the very people entrusted with keeping them safe.

We must not let this pass. There must be an immediate and thorough accounting. The ground commander and all PNP personnel who participated in the dispersal must be relieved of their duties pending independent investigations. The local government officials, particularly Kidapawan Mayor Joseph Evangelista who reportedly at the site when the violence erupted must face sanctions. All involved must be brought to justice.

But beyond the police officers and local authorities, P-Noy and his administration must also be held accountable for exacerbating the disastrous impact of El Niño with their equally disastrous handling of preparedness and response efforts. The state’s own meteorological agency, PAGASA had warned of the coming El Niño as early as March 2014. Ultimately, it was the negligence and lack of urgency evident in the slow roll-out of El Niño mitigation measures that set the stage for the tragedy that played out on the road between Cotabato and Davao.

It will be no less of a tragedy if they are allowed to escape responsibility for the calamity that their callousness and ineptitude has brought upon the nation.

Statement

[People] Walden Bello on the Violent Dispersal of Farmers and Lumad barricade and killing of one farmer in Kidapawan City

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Statement from Walden Bello on the Violent Dispersal of Farmers and Lumad barricade and killing of one farmer in Kidapawan City
April 1, 2016

I condemn in the strongest possible terms the violent attack of police and military forces against protestors that resulted in the killing of one farmer and injury to 13 others in Kidapawan City this morning.

The protesters are farmers and Lumads who have been suffering for months now the devastating impacts of El-Niño induced drought. They came and put up the barricade to demand urgent action from government both at the local and national levels. Theirs is a legitimate course of action, as they hope for a response in the form of rice and food to alleviate their hunger, but were met instead with deadly force and violence.

Based on news reports, the number of people affected by drought in North Cotabato alone has reached over 30,000 people, mostly corn, rice, rubber and coconut farmers. In Maguindanao, another 20,000 more suffer the same fate. There are reports of people driven to eating feeds meant for their livestock and toxic root crops just to survive. This is clearly unacceptable. Mindanao today is at a critical turning point with the looming famine induced by El-Niño and yet there has not been a clear, urgent and long-term response from government.

In an election campaign dominated by trapo politics — money driven and based on personalities, rather than the issues of concern to the people — this crisis in Mindanao is being ignored in the most irresponsible manner.

I echo the call by FDC for the immediate relief from duty of the ground commander and PNP personnel, pending independent investigations. and for all those including local government officials, directly involved or complicit in the violent dispersal to face sanctions and brought to justice.

This tragedy is a reflection not just of the failure of government to respond to the urgent needs of its people but a manifestation of the sad and declining state of agriculture in this country, particularly in Mindanao brought about by years of government neglect.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/walden-bello-for-senator-movement/statement-from-walden-bello-on-the-violent-dispersal-of-farmers-and-lumad-barric/10154007645425610

People

[Press Release] 20 years of waiting, still not over for Ormoc landless farmers -KAISAHAN

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

DAR LEYTE BETRAYS INSTALLATION ANEW!
20 years of waiting, still not over for Ormoc landless farmers

Ormoc City — Around 30 agrarian reform beneficiaries from Brgy. Valencia and Brgy. Sumanga, Ormoc, Leyte were once again deprived of their rights to own the lands they till when the Department of Agrarian Reform yet again announced on February 9, the postponement of their scheduled land installations (February 9 for Valencia and February 10 for Sumanga). DAR recalled its own writ of installation allegedly due to a filed case of cancellation of CLOAs (Certificate of Land Ownership and Acquisition) over the land by other farmers.

In both Orders sent in by PARPO II Renato Badilla, it was stated that the previous landowners, both Tan Landholdings and the Potenciano & Anecita Larrazabal Enterprises Corporation (PALEC), opposed the installations in the 30 and 35 hectares of lands respectively.

The said landowners, as the Orders state, are “the petitioners of a case for cancellation of the CLOAs (of the 30 farmers from both barangay) pending at the DARAB based on the alleged erroneous coverage of the subject landholding.” An affidavit of third party claim was attached to both orders.

The Orders further state, “Per verification, such ground for cancellation is so serious such that there can be no certainty that the office will be installing a correct farmer beneficiary, as said issue is determinative of whether the subject landholding has been correctly covered or not… The office finds it sound to resolve first said issue so as to avoid bigger problem.”

NO LEGAL BASIS

Farmer beneficiaries who were supposed to be installed were enraged at the repeated failure of DAR to install them on their awarded land. “Handa na kaming lahat para sa installation dito sa Valencia. Nandito na kami simula 8 ng umaga sa pag aakala naming wala nang magiging aberya sa installation,” said Antonio Lazaga, an ARB from Valencia. “Kahit ang mga ARB galing sa ibang barangay ay dumayo dito para magpakita ng suporta sa amin.”

KAISAHAN, an agrarian reform advocacy organization that has been helping ARBs since 1990, expressed their frustration at the non-installation. Upon receiving the orders from DAR, Atty. Claire Demaisip of KAISAHAN yesterday said, “The installation should not be cancelled even if there is an existing case.”

She pointed out that the existing rules states that “EXCEPT FOR THE SUPREME COURT, no court in the Philippines shall have jurisdiction to issue any restraining order or writ of preliminary injunction against the PARC, the DAR, or any of its duly authorized or designated agencies in any case, dispute or controversy arising from, necessary to, or in connection with the application, implementation, enforcement, or interpretation of (the AR laws).”

“In addition the titles of the farmers have become indefeasible after 16 long years of being CLOA holders,” informed Demaisip.

Leyte Sheriff Joseph Catingub, recently received a letter from the lawyers of both Tan and Larrazabal landholdings, reminding him about the said cancellation case and insisting that the scheduled installations should be postponed. This later on resulted to the issuance of the orders from PARPO Badilla.

“It is clearly stated that only a TRO from the Supreme Court can stop this installation,” stated Atty. Rolly Peoro, also from KAISAHAN. “It is confounding to know that DAR seems to treat a mere letter from the former landowners’legal counsels with equal bearing as a TRO from the Supreme Court!”

TWO DECADES OF WAITING

In a meeting that followed the release of the Orders, the farmer beneficiaries wielded their CLOAs before DAR representatives, Atty. Kenilma Pen, and MARO Perpetua Zabaldan with Sherif Catingub and expressed their fury over the DAR’s decision.

“Kumpleto ang mga papel namin pero bakit hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin kami nai-install?” shouted Pablo Silva, an ARB from Sumanga. “Akala namin ngayong alam na namin kung paano pumosisyon sa area ay mas mapapadali ang installation, pero hindi pa rin pala. Ano ba itong CLOA? May bisa pa ba ito?”

The farmers demanded the immediate resolution of this case and their installation.

However, Pen and Catingub said that as much as they wanted to install the farmers, they are not in the position to know such information.

“Ang magagawa lang po natin ay mag-appeal at isulat yung inyong mga posisyon regarding PARO’s orders,” Pen added.

“Dapat lang na ma-install na kami sa lalong madaling panahon para naman umangat ng kaunti ang mga buhay namin. Para sarili na namin ang sinasaka at patuloy na makapag-aral ang mga anak namin,” said Silva as the dialogue with the DAR ends.

STRONG RESISTANCE

Meanwhile, a few meters away from the home of Silva were tents of mobilized farm workers to guard the installation areas. According to reports, these workers started pitching their tents last Sunday.
When asked about the workers presence in the area, Virgilio Geneston, also an ARB from Sumanga said, “Trabaho nila yan, pinapasweldo sila. Basta hindi kami saktan, wala namang problema na manatili sila diyan.”

As of today, the Sumanga farmers allegedly received threats that the Larrazabals plan to evict them from their houses which are still located inside their former landowner’s area. Not being able to farm their awarded lands, they ironically remain as farmworkers of PALEC to provide for their families.

The said farmer beneficiaries from Valencia and Sumanga have already had several attempts for installation since they received their CLOAs way back in 1996. However, all these attempts failed due to resistance of the previous landowners.

There are still around 180,000 hectares of land out of 222,620 that are yet to be distributed in Southern Leyte.

KAISAHAN PRESS RELEASE
February 10, 2016
Contacts: Ruby Espina (09109986394) / Gillian Cruz (09157830489)