KILUSANG MAGBUBUKID NG PILIPINAS - Southern Mindanao Region

Picket rally vs JPEPA, Davao City, Nov. 5, 2007

A community leader expressed that JPEPA means massacre of peasant’s livelihood

Struggle for Genuine Agrarian Reform and National Industrialization – Strategic alternative to JPEPA

KILUSANG MAGBUBUKID NG PILIPINAS

Southern Mindanao Region

Press Release

05 November 2007

Reference:  Celso Pojas, KMP-SMR Spokesperson

Landlessness, environmental health hazards

to increase with JPEPA

The militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Southern Mindanao Region and No Deal! Movement against Unequal Economic Agreements are spearheading today a protest rally against Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) in San Pedro Street, Davao City as the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs is expected to submit its report on JPEPA in the plenary.

According to Celso Pojas, regional spokesperson of KMP Southern Mindanao, “more and more peasants will be denied of their right to own and till a land when JPEPA is ratified because it gives license to massive land-use conversion towards mono-crop plantations of multinational corporations. The Macapagal-Arroyo regime has already targeted 2-million hectares to increase the landholdings controlled by foreign agro-corporations like AJMR-Sumitomo, Dole Philippines, Tagum Development Corporation (Tadeco), and del Monte.”

“The Philippines is Japan’s largest source of banana (58% of Japan’s total fruit exports). With JPEPA, this will also definitely increase the use of hazardous pesticides and expansion of banana plantations to watershed and forested areas. In Davao City alone, the most important Talomo-Lipadas and Tamugan-Panigan watershed areas are surrounded with 5,000 hectares of banana plantations and 1,000 hectares of pineapples plantations that are heavily pesticides-dependent”, said the peasant leader.

Pojas also stressed that peasant and agricultural workers will also suffer even more from contract growing arrangements with multinational agri-business corporations. “Due to lack of genuine agrarian reform, backward agriculture, lack of government subsidy, and high quality standard of Japan for exportable agricultural products, more peasants and agricultural workers will suffer great losses from contract growing. Massive contract growing is now also being used by big plantation corporations to evade from the requirements of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environment Clearance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)”, he added.

“We peasants are calling for the rejection of this onerous and unfair economic treaty because this agreement is grossly lopsided in favor of Japan. The provisions of JPEPA will further reinforce the unequal economic relations between countries by removing the tariffs for all Philippine products while Japan will continue to protect its own products and by allowing Japanese corporations to plunder our country’s rich agro-biodiversity and marine and coastal resources such as the tuna reserves and important aquatic species in Mindanao, particularly in Saranggani, Sulu and Moro Gulf”, the peasant leader stressed.

Instead, KMP and its allies will push for an alternative genuine agrarian reform law in Congress, through the initiative of progressive party-list groups Anakpawis, Bayan Muna and Gabriela Women’s Party, that will truly serve the interests of the peasantry. Such law will ensure free distribution of lands to tillers, conservation and wise utilization of natural resources and promotion of sustainable agriculture”, Pojas concluded.#

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A militant Moro youth leader said “JPEPA will also exploit the Moro people because most of them are peasants”

Peasant leader said “Landlessness and environmental health hazards will increase with JPEPA”

Resist Imperialist Globalization!

Protect Philippine marine and coastal resources against Japanese TNC plunder!

Picket rally against JPEPA along the busy San Pedro Street in Davao City

Defend national sovereignty, patrimony, people’s livelihood, and environment! Junk JPEPA!

With photojournalist from Mindanao Times, a local news daily

KMP Southern Mindanao spokesperson Celso Pojas delivered a militant speech against JPEPA

hoto

Claro M. Recto Conference Hall, UP Campus, November 9, 2007

News Release

November 8, 2007

As Senate resumes public hearings

New anti-JPEPA group slams effects on agriculture

Members of No Deal! JPEPA, Movement Against Unequal Economic Agreements, slammed the effects on agriculture of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

In its petition posted at www.petitiononline/ NoDeal/petition. hml, the No Deal! JPEPA states, “Farmers and agricultural workers stand to suffer even more from contract-growing arrangements with transnational agri-business corporations. Land use conversion will also affect domestic food production.”

The group also deems, “ Domestic fisheries sector will have no protection from the entry of Japanese fishing vessels which will be allowed to fish in our waters.”

Arnold Padilla, spokersperson of No Deal!JPEPA, “Only transnational agri-business corporations will benefit from JPEPA. With a backward agriculture lacking in subsidy and deprived of techonolgy, ordinary farmers and farm workers have no capacity to export their produce to Japan.”

Padilla adds, “Moreover, under contract-growing scheme, farmers and farm workers are forced to shoulder the expenses in production and yet,  transnational corporations buy their produce at very low prices.”

Padilla also deplored reports ofpesticide poisoning  in fruit plantations and nearby communities. “While every banana or pineapple is being taken care of, farm workers are neglected and abused.” The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas recorded cases of poisoning in Lapanday Holdings, Inc.

The No Deal!JPEPA spokesperson also reiterates that Filipino fishersholk are likely to go hungry if Japanese corporations will be given unhampered access to the country’s marine resources. A study by fisherfolk group Pamalakaya reveals that a 3,000 single-ton Japanese factory ship, accompanied by support fishing fleets can generate 150 metric tons of tuna on a 24-hour operation basis. #

CONVENORS Former Vice President Teofisto Guingona  Former Senator Wigberto Tañada Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran  Rafael Mariano, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas Nitz Gonzaga, Kilusang Mayo Uno Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya  Dr. Carol Pagaduan-Araullo, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan  Jossel Ebesate, R.N., Alliance of Health Workers Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante Clemente Bautista Jr. Kalikasan People’s Network Rechielda Extremadura, Lila Filipina Arman Albarillo, Bayan-Southern Tagalog Roy Velez, Bayan-NCR Ed Cubelo, Toyoto workers union president Sonny Africa, Ibon Foundation Arnold Padilla, spokesperson

Ibon Foundation's Sonny Africa

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