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Militants challenged
Speaker Nograles, other pro-Chacha solons to a debate outside House of
Representatives
04/20/2009 - 08:46.
Leaders of the militant farmers and fisherfolk groups camping by the gates
of House of Representatives on Sunday challenged House Speaker Prospero
Nograles and other pro-Charter Change (Chacha) lawmakers to debate the
controversial measure seeking to effect revisions in the 1987 Constitution
through constituent assembly outside the Batasan complex.
‘Let’s have a debate in the parliament of the street, and not in the
parliament controlled by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her
political robots,” the peasant activist group Kilusang Magbubukid ng
Pilipinas (KMP), the leftwing fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng
Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and the Southern
Tagalog-based farmer group Katipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog
Katagalugan (Kasama-TK) said in a joint statement.
The KMP, Pamalakaya and Kasama-TK are the main organizers of the 54-day
Rural People’s Camp-Out for Genuine Land Reform and Against Charter Change
that started April 13 and will end on June 6. The camp-out groups last
week pressed Speaker Nograles to drop House Resolution No. 737 which seeks
to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution to allow 100
percent foreign ownership of lands and other profitable business in the
country.
Also last week, the groups pressed Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte to
drop his resolution which was signed by 185 congressmen seeking to convene
both houses of Congress into a constituent assembly to effect Chacha.
KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos said tomorrow, the camp-out protesters
will convene into a rural people’s parliament outside Batasan to tackle
anew Chacha and its impacts and effect to poor farmers and rural folks who
are struggling hard to achieve genuine land reform and free distribution
of land across the country.
In the alternative people’s parliament, the KMP leader said around 100
peasant, fisherfolk and rural leaders will discuss among themselves
controversial issues involving Chacha like 100% foreign ownership of land,
the privatization and corproate takeover of public and profitable sectors,
the possible comeback of US military bases in the country, the elimination
of nominal rights currently enshrined in the 1987 Charter and the lifting
of term limits of President Arroyo and other incumbent elected officials
of the country, which are ill-effects of Chacha in whatever mode.
“The rural people’s parliament will be conducted from 10:00 am to 11:00 am
and will present to the people the reasons why farmers, fisherfolk and the
rural populace why their opposition to Chacha is non-negotiable,” Ramos
added.
For his part, Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said Speaker
Nograles was compelled to bring House Resolution 737 to plenary voting
tomorrow to allow staunch allies of President Arroyo and Con-ass group to
bring forward the Villafuerte resolution to the plenary for voting and
congressional approval.
“This is really dirty, the mother of all dirty games. Contrary to the
Speaker’s previous statement that he is slowing down on Chacha or he is
about to give up this evil measure, the unfolding events tell us that Mrs.
Arroyo’s lapdogs are ready to railroad con-ass starting this week by hook
or by crook,” Hicap added.
The Pamalakaya leader added: “It is ironic, while the real constituents
are here calling Congress to pass the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill or
House Bill 3059, the congressmen are talking of a constituent assembly to
push Chacha which is not in the collective interest of the people and does
not represent the real national sentiment of the constituents”. #
FOR REFERENCE:
GERRY ALBERT CORPUZ, Pamalakaya-Pilipinas Public Information Officer
(434-38-36)
ROY MORILLA, KMP Public Information Officer (+63-905-421-73-05)
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May 12, 2009
News Release
For Reference:
Gerry Albert Corpuz, Pamalakaya information officer, Contact No:
09286581787
Rural militants to bestow “Filipino of the Century” award to Beltran
Leaders of peasant groups Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), the
Southern-Tagalog based Katipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog
Katagalugan (Kasama-TK), the Central Luzon farmers alliance Alyansa ng
Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL), the Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa
Agrikultura (UMA), the Amihan peasant women federation and the
left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya
ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) will bestow the “Filipino of the Century” award
to former Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin Beltran.
The award will be given on May 20 at the gate of the House of
Representatives, where the farmers are currently holding a 54- day
camp-out to press Congress to pass the Genuine Agarian Reform Bill (GARB)
or House Bill No. 3059 principally authored by the late militant lawmaker.
The awarding will coincide with the first death anniversary of the former
labor leader who died from a freak accident while fixing the roof of his
dilapidated house in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan last year.
“The Filipino of the Century Award to former Anakpawis party list Rep.
Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran is a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated 100
percent of his life to the collective interest and class aspiration of the
Filipino workers and farmers,” KMP spokesperson Antonio Flores said in a
statement.
“Beltran sees the realization of genuine land reform in the possible near
future and the enactment of GARB or House Bill 3059 as effective
social-economic and political instruments to address or eliminate the
problems brought by hundreds of years of landlessness and social injustice
across the country,” the KMP leader said.
“Ka Bel from the start rejected all the bogus agrarian reform programs
enacted by landlord-dominated regimes since the time of former President
Ramon Magsaysay up to the present administration of President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo. He was also opposed from the start to the 20-year old
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and dismissed its extension
as extremely reactionary, extremely pro-landlord and extremely
anti-farmer,” Flores said.
For her part, Amihan national chair Carmen Buena, finally after 18 months
of waiting, the House Committee on Agrarian Reform chaired by Rep.. Elias
Bulut (Apayao) finally set the first hearing on the Beltran bill on land
reform.
Buena said on May 20, the committee will begin discussing GARB or House
Bill No. 3059 co-authored by Anakpawis party list Rep. Rafael Mariano,
Bayan Muna Reps. Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño, Gabriela party list
lawmakers Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan.
“We hope the committee, in the name of Beltran and the struggling farmers,
will provide enough venue and time for the discussion and deliberation
GARB. The debate on GARB should not start and let bogus resolutions and
Jurassic bills such as Joint Resolution No.1 and CARP with reforms bill
remove from the national scene of Philippine legislature,” Amihan’s Buena
added.
Agrarian reform letters
In a related development, KMP vice-chairperson and Kasama-TK spokesperson
Imelda Lacandazo and Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said farmers
from Rizal, Cavite and Batangas provinces started delivering agrarian
reform letters to all members of the House of Representatives, asking
lawmakers to start the debate on the controversial land reform bill and
pass GARB or HB No. 3059 on or before Congress ends its session on June 6.
“Each congressman will have his agrarian letter by this week. The letter
contains our strong recommendation for all lawmakers to give us an
audience to enable us to explain to them the pro-farmer and pro-people
content of GARB and why its passage by the House of Representatives is
historically, socially and politically necessary,” both leaders said.
However, Lacandazo and Hicap said they will think over a million times
whether they will give or not an agrarian reform letter to retired Army
Major Gen. and Bantay Party list Rep. Jovito Palparan.
“We don’t consider Palparan a member of the House of Representatives. His
mandate is bogus and he is an extrajudicial killer of farmer activists and
other political activists across-the-nation. As for the Arroyos—Pampanga
Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo,
Negros Rep. Ignacio Arroyo and Kasangga party list Rep. Lourdes Arroyo,
they will have their agrarian reform letter because we want to challenge
the House of Arroyos as far as genuine land reform is concerned,” both
leaders said.
“Let’s start the debate on GARB. We are ready to defend GARB in and out of
the agrarian reform committee. The bill was filed on November 13, 2007 and
it took the committee 18 months to proceed with the hearing. It may be a
case of better than late than never, but still it is still unfair and
unjust to have this bill sidelined for a long time,” the Pamalakaya leader
added.
Pamalakaya’s Hicap asserted that GARB is the real social justice piece of
legislation compared to the bankrupt CARP extension with reform bills
pending in both houses of Congress.
Hicap said the meat of GARB is free land distribution, unlike in CARP
extension with reform bill, the farmers will still be subjected to payment
of monthly amortization, that in case they failed to pay their outstanding
debts or obligations to the government, the awarded lands will be reverted
back to the government, or to landlord or to any private entities
interested in acquiring the land.
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“In CARP extension with
reforms, farmers will still be subjected to rigorous payment of lands
awarded to them and would continue essaying their feudal roles as CARP
beneficiary paying clients of the present landlord which is the
government,” the Pamalakaya leader said.
Hacienda Bacan
Pamalakaya said an example would be the 153-hectare Hacienda Bacan in
Negros Occidental currently owned by the Arroyos. Under the CARP extension
with reform (CARPer), if even the lands are awarded to farmers, the
beneficiaries will continue to pay monthly amortization, and in case they
failed their obligations, the lands would be reverted back to the state,
which has the right to sell the lands back to the Arroyos or to any
private interest.
“Is that land reform? No it is not. That is real estate business,” the
group said.
Pamalakaya said under GARB or
House Bill 3059, the 153-hectares of the Arroyos will be classified as
sullied lands, meaning lands acquired through dubious, corrupt and
forcible means, and therefore should be subjected to outright coverage,
compulsory acquisition without compensation to the Arroyos and free
distribution to landless farmers of Hacienda Bacan.
The militant group also said the one-year indefeasibility period in CARPer
was a either a misnomer or an intentional provision to allow big landlords
to maneuver. Under CARPer, the titles of lands awarded to the farmer
beneficiaries could be questioned by landlords in dispute.
“Landlords as proven by history always question the farmers’ insistence of
their land rights twenty four hours a day, seven days a week and 360 days
a year. This indefeasibility provision of CARPer is meant to allow
landlords to stop any kind of land acquisition and distribution,” said
Pamalakaya.
But under GARB, the farmers become the rightful person to till, explore
and benefit from the land in the name of free land distribution and social
justice, and any dispute or question about the land will be the official
business of the state and the landlord as parties, totally liberating the
farmers from any kind of hassle or problems. #
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NEWS RELEASE
May 11, 2009
Farmers’ self-imposed land reform, a victory
More than a hundred of farmers from Cavite marched along Batasan road
yesterday afternoon to join other farmers in Southern Tagalog region who
were picketing in front of the House of Representatives for 29-days now.
They are demanding the passage of House Bill No. 3059 or Genuine Agrarian
Reform Bill instead of a 5-year extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program that already expired last year.
A farmer leader from Cavite declared that they are harvesting fruits of
their labor since denouncing CARP.
“Hundreds of farming families in different villages from the town of
Silang in Cavite remains rooted to their land without the benefits of CARP
after the fake land reform program failed to give us farmlands,” Renato
Belen of Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid sa Kabite said.
Belen is referring to what they call as the bigay-bawi (award and cancel)
scheme of Certificate of Land Ownership Award under the government’s land
reform program.
According to Belen, Caviteños were among the first beneficiaries of CARP
but eventually got frustrated after the Department of Agrarian Reform
failed to install them on the awarded land.
They cited the case of Barangay Kaong in Silang where 70 hectares in
separate sitios (sub-village) were given to 73 farmers-beneficiaries when
Pres. Joseph Estrada and DAR Sec. Boy Morales approved the CLOA generation
on May 10, 1999 but in less than a year cancelled it for the reason that
the awarding is “untimely”.
In August 2001, the farmers decided to occupy the land and made it
productive by planting agricultural crops like palay, cassava, pineapple
and coffee in spite of the continuous threat of local policemen and
security guards of Kuok Properties Philippines, Inc (KPPI) to displace
them.
KPPI is claiming rights to the more than 3,000 hectares of land in Silang
and Carmona in Cavite after some farmers in a separate village sold their
CLOA as collateral to the land development corporation.
Kamagsasaka-Ka provided other incidents where 500-hectares of farmlands in
Bgy. Inchikan, also in Silang were entered into a Joint Venture Agreement
but were eventually converted into a high-end residential subdivision by
simply declaring the land as “abandoned” and “non-productive”.
“This is not an isolated case in Cavite , thousands of hectares of
agricultural land in the region were converted into other uses after DAR
approved anomalous application of conversion order,” Imelda Lacandazo,
spokesperson of Kasama-TK added.
The farmers picketing in front of the Philippine Congress, Lacandazo said,
are determined to remain until the session closes on June and thousands of
farmers are expected to join them in time for the first Committee Hearing
of H.B. 3059 on May 20, seventeen months after the proposed bill was
filed.
The farmers from Cavite will also offer “bottomless” kapeng Barako to the
by-passers in front of their Kampuhan (camp-out area) including the
employees and Congressmen of the House of Representatives to share their
harvest and victory from denouncing CARP.###
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