News Release
March 12, 2008
Reference: Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano, chairman, KMP and president, ANAKPAWIS party list
 
Kalbaryo ng Magbubukid for Genuine Agrarian Reform starts
 
            Farmers from San Jose del Monte, Bulacan and Montalban, Rizal conduct a Kalbaryo ng Magbubukid sa Ilalim ng Rehimen US-Macapagal- Arroyo (Peasant Calvary under the US-Macapagal- Arroyo regime) to highlight the sufferings the peasantry has endured under Gloria and to call for genuine agrarian reform.
            According to Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano, chairman of KMP and concurrent president of ANAKPAWIS party list., “ scores of peasants would start from their farms and with them are three crosses that represent the three biggest problems of farmers and the Filipino people,”
            “The first cross would be imperialism and under it are the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), RP-China deals, Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the SOFA, Monsanto and Syngenta. The second cross would be bureaucrat capitalism and under it are Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Sec. Eduardo Ermita, Mike Arroyo, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Norberto Gonzalez and Sec. Raul Gonzales, as well the P728 million fertilizer fund scam, the P3.1 billion irrigation scam, the NBN-ZTE deal and the Spratlys deal. Lastly, the third cross is feudalism with the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), the stock distribution option (SDO), the corporative scheme, agrarian reform communities (ARC), joint ventures and Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco under it,” said Mariano.
            “The farmers are also doing the Kalbaryo to call for a complete stop to the massive land use conversion of agricultural lands into residential areas as what is happening in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan particularly in Tungkong Mangga and Montalban, Rizal. In Montalban it is Mayor Pedro Cuerpo himself is the one forcing farmers out of their land, while in Bulacan, the Aranetas are the culprits,” added the peasant leader.
            “Our members will do the 14 stations in 3 days and will stop at different government agencies and churches to show them the real plight of the peasantry and our call for the passing of the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (HB 3059) and the scrapping of the CARP,” ended Mariano.
            The Kalbaryo will merge this afternoon at the House of Representatives and spend the night at the St. Peters Church in Commonwealth. # # #