Manila, Philippines – The Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women comdemned the latest spate of land grabbing and abuses against farmers, peasant women, agricultural workers, indigenous people and fisherfolk amid pandemic. Within the first month of the year, peasant communities in Laguna, Bataan, Bulacan, Cavite, Panay and other provinces experience displacement and rights abuses from the hands of the landlords, private armed groups (PAGs) and government armed forces. Moreover, the group announced that it will join the nationally-coordinated protest marking the 34th year of injustice of Mendiola Massacre this January 22 to call for land, justice and against land grabbing and displacement.
“Mariin naming kinokondena ang patuloy na abuso sa mga “food security frontliners” o mga magsasakang lumilikha ng pagkain sa bansa, kahit ngayong tayo ay nasa ilalim ng pandemya at patung-patong na kahirapan dulot ng mga pasista at inutil na patakaran ng gubyerno. Imoral ang mga pagpapalayas, demolisyon at karahasan sa kanayunan dahil ang panawagan ng mga magsasaka ay ayuda sa pagsasaka at kabuhayan, pagkain at iba pang batayang pangangailangan. Malala na ang mismong mahalagang sektor para hindi malugmok sa malawakang kagutuman ang populasyon ay biktima ng tumitinding pasistang atake ng rehimen o human rights violations, dagdag sa kriminal na kapabayaan sa epekto ng patakarang lockdown at sunud-sunod na bagyo noong nakaraang taon. Animo’y peste sa pananim at totoong salot sa taumbayan si Duterte na nagtutulak pa ngayon ng charter change at pinipili pa ang bakunang palpak mula sa imperyalistang Tsina,” decried by Amihan National Chairperson Zenaida Soriano.
Moreover, Amihan and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas documented the spate of land grabbing and right abuses to peasant within this month of January –
- on January 6 and 9, in Hacienda Yulo in Calamba, Laguna, Ayala Land and its private armed group demolished 2 houses and injured 4 farmers;
-on January 13, in Hacienda Ambulong, Talisay, Negros Occidental, peasant couple Marilyn and Edwin Madin were held for questioning at the local police station after an early morning raid conducted by the 79th Infantry Batallion Philippine Army. Moreover, a 2-month old baby under their care was taken by the soldiers;
-on January 14, in Barangay General Lim, Orion, Bataan, the houses of 60-70 peasant families were demolished by around a hundred-strong demolition team backed up by 200 police, as ordered by former GSIS President Federico Pascual. Worse, the victims food crops at their 33-hectare “bungkalan” (cultivation) site are being threatened to be destroyed by the perpetrators;
-also on January 14, sixteen farmers of Sitio Compra, Barangay San Mateo, Norzagaray town in Bulacan, were charged with grave threat and theft for harvesting their own crops and were threatened with violence by the land grabbing firm Royal Mollucan and its private armed group;
- Since last December, 400 peasant families of Lupang Ramos in Dasmarinas, Cavite were threatened to be evicted from their farms and houses due to National Grid Corporations of the Philippines (NGCP) project;
-Since the killing of nine (9) leaders of Tumandok and illegal arrest and detention of its 16 members last December 30, 2020 in Tapaz, Panay, peasant community remained to be victims of state terrorism.
“Ang mga abusong ito sa mga magsasaka na lumalala sa ilalim ng rehimeng Duterte, ay malinaw na patunay na makatarungan at tama ang panawagang ‘Oust Duterte.’ Si Duterte ang numero unong kaaway ng mga magsasaka at mamamayan, kaya para ipagtanggol ang mga batayang karapatan at kalayaan ay dapat lang siyang patalsikin. Ang mga magsasaka ay tagapagtaguyod ng food security sa bansa, at si Duterte ang tagapaghasik ng kahirapan at kagutuman. Panawagan namin sa malawak na mamamayan na suportahan kaming mga magsasaka sa laban para sa karapatan sa lupa, ayuda at pagkamit ng hustisya,” Soriano ended. ###
