Peasant women launch Operation Tikad, assert right to life, insist on telling lands

Peasant women launch Operation Tikad,

assert right to life, insist on tilling lands

Buffalo-Tamaraw-Limus, Bukidnon

June 8, 2011

■ Previous posting: Kampuhan for Land and Justice

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Photos courtesy of AMIHAN, Northen Mindanao Region


Press Release June 8, 2011 Women assert right to life, insist on tilling lands Tired and starving, peasant women of Buffalo-Tamaraw-Limus (BTL) Women’s Association in Maramag, Bukidnon advanced in the picket lines and perform their Operation Tikad together with the BTL Farmers’ Assocation. 'Operation Tikad' is the term used for the action of the farmers of the Buffalo-Tamaraw-Limus areas inside the Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Maramag, Bukidnon in collectively tilling the land while a deal is yet to be sealed between the CMU administration and the displaced farmers. The BTL farmers of Maramag, Bukidnon held a protest rally 1 pm on Monday, June 6 after 2 weeks of mounting protest camps or kampuhan in front of CMU. More than 1,000 farmers, agricultural workers and support groups from different municipalities of Bukidnon, including San Fernando, Valencia, Quezon, Dangcagan, Don Carlos, Kibawe and Pangantucan, joined the said protest so as to vehemently mount their appeals to the CMU administration. Peasant women protested against the cruelty of CMU on ejecting them in their tilled lands without providing relocation as agreed in the previous memorandum of agreements. They also condemned the harassments of the CMU security personnel during the said rally where the security placed huge amplifiers to volume-deaf and paralyze the activity. Yet the farmers were never intimidated, instead peasant women advanced in the picket lines and confronted them. The protesters were more agitated when the securities held their guns. To emphasize their outrage, they move closer to the main gate and blocked it. “Our pleas are legitimate, we just want land to till for us to eat and send our children to school. This is our only source of living”, cried Nanay Filemona.of the BTL Women’s Association. Despite the scorching heat of the sun, the face of vigilance was vivid among the peasant women regardless of the hardship of bringing their children in the picket lines – this was because no one would look-out for their children since almost all of community members are in the kampuhan. Many women and children are suffering from colds and fever due to stress and scarcity of food. Still, they strongly declared that they will continue the camp-out protest until the CMU answers their demands. They even requested a negotiation between the local government unit of Maramag with Vice-Governor Jose Maria Zubiri and the CMU administration. The Governor agreed to the proposed dialogue, and was scheduled to be held tomorrow afternoon in Zubiri’s office. Though these farmers were consistently harassed by the CMU security personnel and other paramilitary forces that resulted to the failure of their several attempts to sustain the Operation Tikad, these weren’t enough reasons for them not continue the Operation Tikad this morning about 9 o’clock. While tending the field, 18 security personnel of CMU under the command George Ceasar Gewan Jr. (chief security office) and headed by Ernesto Honasan (field team leader) attempted to enter area they are tilling, with guns ready to terrify the then working farmers. Rather than petrified, the peasant women confronted the security personnel and demanded for their identification cards. No able to present any, they immediately took some pictures of the farmers before leaving the place. For reference: April Argen Pat B. Marzon Staff, AMIHAN NMR 09052472573 / 09996221291






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			Update on the agrarian unrest in Maramag, Bukidnon AMIHAN Northern Mindanao 03 June 2011 Press Release Peasant women decry today's harassment, indiscrimate firing A woman farmer and member of BTL Women's Association, Ailyn Palania, collapsed after more than 50 heavily armed University guards from the CHEVRON Security Agency and elements of the paramilitary Civilian Auxillary Geographical Forces Unit (CAFGU) indiscrimanately fired to the direction of the farmers doing the 'Operation Tikad' today, June 3, 2011. 'Operation Tikad' is the term used for the action of the farmers of the Buffalo-Tamaraw-Limus areas inside the Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Maramag, Bukidnon in collectively tilling the land while a deal is yet to be sealed between the CMU administration and the displaced farmers. BTL Women's Association Chairperson Felomina Santillan asserted, "we will die if we cannot attend to our ricefields now since this is planting season. For humanitarian reasons, we ask the CMU administration to allow us sow seeds in our ricefields while waiting for the final agreement." BTL Women's Association is a part of the 43 peasant women organizations under AMIHAN Northern Mindanao. CMU pushed for the ejectment of the 800 peasant families in the land they till inside the university, and be relocated to the remote town of Talakag. But the farmers rejected the offer because the relocation area has been undeveloped. They asked the CMU administration to delay the relocation for three more years and let them continue tilling their lands inside the university for them to have something to eat, while developing the relocation site in Talakag. The BTL Women's Association, together with the BTL Farmers' Association, mounted a make-shift camp last May 23 in front of the university to protest CMU's 'heartless proposal.' CMU President Ma. Luisa Soliven then announced that she is willing to extend the stay of the farmers, but said that they will not offer relocation after three years. "Where will we go after three years?," Santillan asked. Tilling the lands for more than 3 decades, BTL Farmers were beneficiaries of the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). After appeals from the CMU administration, the Supreme Court ruled in 2001` that the lands inside CMU is exempted from distribution since these are intended for 'educational and scientific purposes.' But Santillan reacted, "What educational purpose? We believe We are being ejected from our treasured land to pave the way for the expansion of DAVCO's banana and pineapple plantations!" This morning, more than 500 BTL farmers, women and children included, joined the 'Operation Tikad'that started 10am when men armed with high-powered rifles and hand guns fired them away from their ricefields. The armed men also brought with them two tractors to pull away the farm tools the farmers are using, but were unsuccesful because of the collective efforts of the latter in defending the 'Operation Tikad.' Many women and children were traumatized because of the firing. "The CMU administration does not want us to till the land because it is now planting season. Without food to eat in the next months, we will be forced to leave the place. Their moves are calculated," said Santillan. Aside from the security guards and the CAFGUs, the peasants are also worried of the presence of a certain Antonio Pamisa, a man notorious for killing of Lumads (indigenous peoples) claiming lands inside the university. He is now being used by the CMU to harass and intimidate BTL farmers. "But we will not stop until our demands are met. If we cannot eat, we will die. Our land is our life. Take it away from us, and you take our life too," Santillan asserted. For reference: April Argen Pat B. Marzon Staff, Amihan Nmr 09052472573 / 09996221291



Statement of Support to the BTL Farmers Association and the BTL Women Sisters’ Association in Mindanao (SAMIN) June 03, 2011 We in the Sisters’ Association in Mindanao express our support to the ongoing struggle of the farmers of Buffalo, Tamaraw and Limus Farmers' Association (BTL) and the BTL Women's Association in Maramag, Valencia, Bukidnon against efforts by the administration of the Central Mindanao University (CMU) to harass and prevent them to till their lands. The Buffalo, Tamaraw and Limus farmers continue to fight for their lands which they have tilled since the 1980s. The 400-hectare land is planted with rice among other crops. The CMU administration plans to evict more than 800 families from their source of food and sustenance. We support the farmers in their claim over the 400-hectare property. It should be given to them. The land is their life. We are alarmed by the harassments and injustices suffered by the farmers and their families. It had been reported that armed guards, aided by police and military men, have been employed by the CMU administration to disrupt the Operation Tikad (Operation Collective Tilling) conducted by the BTL farmers and women on May 28, 2011. Fearing for their lives and being threatened of confiscation of their farm equipments by the CMU-employed Blue Guards, the farmers decided to stop their Operation Tikad. We demand for a speedy investigation relating to these incidents of human rights violations. We call on the CMU Board of Regents to reexamine their conscience and uphold the principle of ‘land to the tiller’. Education must serve the interests of the poor and the marginalized, especially of farmers and indigenous peoples. The need for a redistribution of wealth is echoed in the words of Pope Pius XI as affirmed in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: “The distribution of created goods, which, as every discerning person knows, is labouring today under the gravest evils due to the huge disparity between the few exceedingly rich and the unnumbered propertyless, must be effectively called back to and brought into conformity with the norms of the common good, that is, social justice” [354]. We pledge to support our farmers by joining them in prayer and in action until we are one with the common aspirations of the poor for genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization. For reference: Sr. FRANZ BLANDO, RGS Member, Board or Trustees Sisters’ Association in Mindanao (SAMIN)



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