Philippines: Arroyo Using Sumilao Farmers for Media Mileage

“Sumilao farmers’ problem just the tip of RP land problem!”-KMP

The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) revealed that the Sumilao case is just the tip of the Philippine land problem and that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo just used them for media mileage yesterday. According to Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano, chairman of KMP and concurrent president of ANAKPAWIS party list, “just 9,500 landlords own and control almost 21% of all agricultural lands in the country. That is almost 3 million hectares for just 9,500 individuals, while more than 2 million farmers have to eke a living from less than 3 hectares per family, because they are forced to divide just 18.5% of all agricultural lands, which is just about 2.5 million hectares, this data came from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics itself”
“The biggest landlord to date is also the antagonist of the Sumilao farmers, Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, he owns 30,000 hectares of land in Negros, Isabela, Cagayan, Davao del Sur, Coatabato, Palawan, etc. He also plans to take over around 13,085 hectares in Ilagan, Isabela’s Hacienda San Antonio and Hacienda Sta.Isabel,” said Mariano.
“The extent of the land problem in the country is very prevalent in some regions. In Southern Tagalog, only 835 landlords control 70% of all agricultural lands. In Cebu, 155 landlords own all the coconut plantations and corn fields. In Cagayan, 437 families control all the agricultural lands. In Batangas, just 16 families own more than 26,000 hectares of sugarcane fields. In Negros Oriental just 10 families control almost all the lands. In Mindanao, just a few trans-national corporations control more than 207,000 hectares of banana, pineapple and palm oil plantations. What is worse is that they are expanding, even if these foreign corporations do not have any title of ownership. They are able to do this with schemes like growership, joint ventures agreements, cooperatives, leasehold and lease back arrangements,” added the peasant leader.
“This is all happening under the Comprehensive Agrarian reform Program (CARP) and it will only get worse with its extension. Even if the Sumilao farmers get the full 144 hectares they are fighting for through a deal between the unholy alliance of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Danding Cojuangco, what about the majority of peasants who still do not own the land they till? Should they all walk to Malacanang as well? Come to think of it we already did that and the present regime then answered our call for genuine land reform with bullets in the Mendiola Massacre,” ended Mariano. # # #

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