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Peasants should rely on
their united strength, not on CARP and others
Submitted by Admin on Sun, 12/21/2008 - 08:31.
“CARP worse than ‘rent-to-own’ schemes”- KMP
The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of
the Philippines) called to Filipino peasants to rely on their united
strength and not on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and
other sectors who claim to be their supporters. Moreover, peasant
organizations are the primary force in campaigning for genuine agrarian
reform in various venues such as the Congress and other sectors on
“tailism” are only compelled to support when the struggle is already at
its peak.
“No one, among those landlord congressmen and senators, supporters of CARP
extension mentioned about ‘free land distribution,’ they have always
called on the extension of the bogus land reform program but not on the
outright free land distribution to farmers,” opened Danilo Ramos, KMP
Secretary-General in a press statement.
“They have no intentions of giving the lands to the farmers who have
already bestowed enough as payment for those lands. Those who are calling
to extend CARP are only calling to extend the unjust payment to the
landlords from the tenants,” added Ramos.
KMP, who rely on the peasant movement or the united strength of the
peasantry to mobilize, stressed that peasant organizations are the key
component to struggle for genuine agrarian reform. In addition, other
groups are misled by others who collaborate with landlords and rake up
CARP funds.
“Our local chapters have always gained from united and strong
organizations, initially they have maintained their farms though there are
orders of displacement or ejectment. Farmers in Hacienda Looc in Batangas
fought gallantly against their ejectment, when the Ramos government
declared it as ‘non-productive’ and exempted it through CARP when it is
very obvious that it is filled with rice, sugarcane and other crop farms.
They are now being harassed by the Philippine Air Force assigned there,
but they are fighting democratically that keeps them on their farms,”
Ramos shared.
“Another case, our chapter on idle lands of the Central Mindanao
University (CMU) in Bukidnon, the university filed for its exemption using
the CARP provisions, but our members of KASAMA-Bukidnon at the area united
and organized themselves and are still there, though they are being
harassed by the school’s security forces and military, and destroying
their crops,” added Ramos.
Moreover, farmers at the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation (FMMR) in
Laur town of Nueva Ecija are united and organized themselves as ALMANA or
Alyansa ng Magbubukid na Nagkakaisa allowing them to continue farming
though they are being harassed by the military, their houses demolished
and strafed, and lands grabbed by military officials. They are under an
Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) but the classification never protected
them and gave them guarantee of keeping their lands. They are now
threatened to be displaced as President Arroyo is pushing for her program
“super-regions,” converting the lands into highways, commercial and
industrial estates as part of the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway (MLUB).
“We have tons of experiences making the tenant-farmers, CARP victims. The
landlords always use the exemption provisions and other machinations in
order for them to keep the lands on their control,” Ramos noted.
“They have always use the 4-hectare retention limit, where landlord clans
would only divide their vast lands among their families, making even the
youngest child already landowners or their farthest relative immediately
owning lands. This is also combined with the 18 degrees slope exemption
where they would only identify those hills with slopes greater and the
CARP itself would exempt it from land distribution,” Ramos explained.
KMP reiterated that the CARP law itself is bankrupt, designed by the
landlord lawmakers not to push through with social justice by free land
distribution, but to preserve landlordism and their control over vast
lands in the country. CARP is itself an instrument of the landlords, thus
calling for its extension means support to extend the peasants’ misery and
exploitation by the landlords.
“Moreover, CARP is worse than those rent-to-own schemes, where those who
could not continue payment could still cash up their previous payments,
but with CARP, payments are gone forever and the farmers are left with
nothing,” Ramos compared.
Instead of extending CARP, KMP always called for ‘genuine agrarian reform’
which encapsulates the social justice and emancipation of the poor and
powerless peasants. It coins ‘free land distribution’ very different to
CARP where already penniless farmers are forced to pay for the lands.
Regarding landlord claims of their investment to lands, the principle
historically reiterates that the peasants, since their ancestors have
already paid up for the lands through land rent and landlords have already
reached their return of investment, thus cancelling their right to claim
control.
Inside the House of Representatives, genuine agrarian reform is
particularized by the House Bill 3059 or Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill
(GARB), now its legislation led by Anakpawis Rep. and KMP Chair Rafael
Mariano. GARB is a finished product of long consultations with peasant
organizations nationwide and pushes strongly for ‘free land distribution’
and nationalization of vast plantations. HB 3059 wholly pushes the
centuries-old concern of the peasants to own land, freedom from land rent
and control of the landlords. GARB is a bill of social justice and
emancipation of landless peasants in the country.
“As GARB pushes for ‘free land distribution,’ it becomes illogical and
stupid to support CARP extension, as CARP requires payment and the former
does not. Thus, those calling for the extension of CARP and claiming to be
supporters of the peasants either intend for the penniless to pay for the
lands or does not want the lands to be distributed to preserve landlord
control. The worse case would be, as CARP involves billions of pesos of
funds, there are collaborationist with the landlord who pretend to be
supporters and leaders of peasants, ‘selling’ agrarian dispute cases,”
Ramos said.
“To those claiming to be supporters, they should respect the right to
organize and mobilize of the farmers, join them side-by-side not on the
tailend and quit being messianic,” added Ramos.
“Clearly, this coming christmas, the landless remain landless and the
landed remain landed, the road of struggle for genuine agrarian reform is
still long and winding, thus, we call on all who are for social justice,
freedom from bondage and equality to support our struggle for genuine
agrarian reform which means ‘free land distribution’ not some bogus land
reform program,” Ramos ended.#
FOR REFERENCE:
DANILO RAMOS, KMP Secretary-General
ROY MORILLA, KMP Public Information Officer (+63-905-421-73-05)
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On CARP extension issue,
“Peasant’s voice should be considered more than a non-peasant’s” - KMP
Submitted by Admin on Tue, 12/23/2008 - 09:27.
The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of
the Philippines) stressed that the peasants’ voice or stand should be
considered more than a non-peasant’s such as Akbayan Partylist Rep. Riza
Hontiveros-Baraquel’s. Also, the peasant group affirmed that the issue on
the extension of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) should stick
to the fundamental issue of “free land distribution” to the landless and
not on giving malicious accusation to parties.
“It is really anti-peasant and anti-people to accuse Bayan Muna Rep. Satur
Ocampo and Anakpawis Partylist Rep. and our Chairman Rafael ‘Ka Paeng’
Mariano of colluding with the landlords,” Danilo Ramos opened in a press
statement.
“It is publicly known that Ka Satur fought against the Marcos dictatorship
and has been tortured and imprisoned, because he fought for justice and
democracy, and remained to uphold the people’s interests and right now,
particularly the peasant’s goal of genuine agrarian reform or ‘free land
distribution’,” he added.
“While our Chairman Ka Paeng Mariano, fought with the Filipino peasantry
all his life, a peasant leader that called for a genuine agrarian reform
program during the Aquino regime, and a survivor of the Mendiola Massacre
on January 22, 1988 and remained a gallant leader of KMP until now. His
reputation and integrity as a fighter and defender of peasant rights and
interests are incontestable,” Ramos noted.
“With all their historical experiences of leading the people’s movement
for the struggle for democracy and basic rights, a non-peasant and a
fashionista-lawmaker such as Akbayan Partylist Rep. Hontiveros-Baraquel
should think first before she accuses someone of colluding with the
landlords,” added Ramos.
KMP believed that landlord-congressmen have scored points on extending
CARP without the compulsory acquisition provision and are happy about
Akbayan’s accusation to the militant partylist representatives, in light
of diverting attention from the main issue of “genuine agrarian reform” or
“free land distribution.”
“We should not fall to the trap of being divided, instead we should be
united in calling for ‘genuine agrarian reform’ or particularly the ‘free
land distribution.’ Since time immemorial, we are calling for the landless
to be given lands, and at present we have coined this with the House Bill
3059 or the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB), but we are opposed even
by those claiming to be supporters of the peasantry,” Ramos added.
Moreover, KMP campaigns the issue of peasant CARP victims cultivating the
idle and agricultural lands of Central Mindanao University in Bukidnon
province. The farmers are being displaced as CARP provisions exempted it
from land distribution. But they remain at the area because of their unity
and actions to defend their rights to land.
Also, farmers in Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Laur, Nueva Ecija,
though classified as Agrarian Reform Communities, still has no guarantee
of the lands as CARP allowed landlords and illegitimate beneficiaries to
grab and claim lands. At present, they are even threatened with
displacement as the Arroyo government plans of converting the area as part
of the “super regions” program, completing the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway
(MLUB). The farmers are resolutely fighting for their rights to land
amidst harassments from the military.
In addition, a classic case of CARP’s betrayal to the peasantry,
agricultural lands of Hacienda Looc in Nasugbu, Batangas were exempted and
being converted into tourism zones, thus, displacing farmers who
cultivated and developed the lands productively. Though soldiers from the
Philippine Air Force assigned at the area harass the farmers, they
continue to stay at the area organized and united, and cultivate their
crops.
“Supporters of CARP extension should prove that they are really
pro-farmers by supporting our bill, and moving on with the death of CARP.
It is bogus, pro-landlord and anti-peasant since it was enacted on June
10, 1988. They should wake up with the reality that landlords benefited
from CARP, instead support GARB,” Ramos called.#
FOR REFERENCE:
DANILO RAMOS, KMP Secretary-General
ROY MORILLA, KMP Public Information Officer (+63-905-421-73-05) |
