Victims’ families, peasant groups, and advocates gathered in a forum to honor the 13 slain farmers and call attention to the persistent landlessness, political dynasties, and rural poverty that continue to plague the Philippines.
By DANIELA MAURICIO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Thirty-eight years after the Mendiola massacre, victims and their families continue to call for justice. Farmers continue to suffer from landlessness and oppression, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas stressed in a forum held in Sampaloc, Manila on January 22.
The forum honored the 13 victims of the violent dispersal of farmers along Mendiola Bridge on Jan. 22, 1987. Thousands of peasants from Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog marched to Malacañan Palace demanding genuine agrarian reform and free land distribution.
Read: Compensation bill for Mendiola Massacre victims sought
At the forum, the speakers discussed how political dynasties perpetuate landlessness, rural poverty and inequality in the country.
“Political dynasties are often the ones in power, running their positions like a business. They are the embodiment of bureaucratic capitalism in our country. It can be said that political dynasties are tied to the existence of land monopolies. That’s why they are interconnected — the persistence of political dynasties is linked to the persistence of land monopolies,” said former agrarian reform secretary Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano, chair emeritus of the KMP.
He said that seven out of 10 farmers in the Philippines still do not own the land they cultivate.
Mariano added that families like the Marcoses, Dutertes, Villars, and more, continue to benefit from land-use conversions, land grabbing, and policies like the Rice Liberalization Law which devastate local agriculture and exacerbate poverty among farmers and fisherfolk.
Read: Rural women condemn land grabbing by powerful clans, foreign investors
KMP cited the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) report that eight out of 10 district representatives are from political families, and more than half are also running for office this coming midterm elections. The PCIJ report states that 36 out of 54 partylists in the current 19th congress are also linked to these clans.
“For one, Camarines Sur’s Villafuerte clan have sought various posts in the coming election, and have a hand on land use conversions and quarrying all over the Bicol region,” the KMP said.
Read: Kontra Daya: Why allow political dynasties, rich and powerful to dominate party-list race?
The group warned that the dire condition of farmers will persist unless the root causes of landlessness are addressed. Genuine land reform, they said, is essential to empowering small farmers and stabilizing the rural economy.
Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis said that ongoing violence and exploitation in the Philippines stem from a system where a small group of wealthy landowners, foreign companies, and powerful politicians control most of the land.
“Is there peace when our people are constantly hungry, with rice prices soaring beyond reach? Can there be peace when the most productive force that provides food has no land to till? How can peace exist when workers labor over eight hours a day yet receive only crumbs for their hard work? And is there truly peace when raising our voices against these injustices leads to attacks and repression?” Casilao asked.
Farmers from Negros, Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac, and San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan also denounced the militarization of farming communities advocating for land rights.
“We in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan are often visited by the military. Of course, there’s the time where they wantes to drive us out of our area. What if we follow them? What will happen to our families? That’s why we are really fighting for it,” said a representative from Bagsakan Farmers
Amid these challenges, the fight for land continues to grow across different regions.
“We are not afraid, especially since we are fighting for land. Currently, we are organizing the members of the farmers from Hacienda Luisita to expand and continue the fight until we are heard by those who are turning a deaf ear. We have a plan that as long as it is not given, we will keep fighting for genuine land reform,” said a farmer from Hacienda Luisita.
Mariano said that the historical importance of unity and collective action in the fight for agrarian reform. “It is a part of history that the struggle lies in the hands of the united and continuous actions of peasants, farmers, and the rural masses in various fields to achieve genuine land reform.”
After the forum, the peasant groups and advocates marched to Mendiola.
Mariano said, “We will not stop fighting for our land, livelihood and our rights. The memory of those killed in the Mendiola Massacre continues to inspire our struggle for land and justice.”
The group said that the forum-activity also served as a build-up to the broader Kilos na Bayan Protest on January 31 to assail the continuing poverty, corruption and impunity under the Marcos Jr. administration. (With reports from Anne Marxze D. Umil) (RTS, DAA)
