Sugarcane has lost its sweetness in Batangas province. The past year has been bittersweet for sugarcane plantation workers since one of the largest sugar mills in the Philippines closed down. They are still struggling to salvage what is left of their livelihood and of the whole sugar industry in the country.
Second of two parts What secure land tenure means and looks like for organized agrarian reform beneficiaries under the climate crisis. By MAVIC CONDE Bulatlat.com CONCEPCION, Tarlac — Alberto Cawigan is now 65, nearly double his age when he was supposed to receive his land share. He lamented how by now he could have saved…
Protecting agrarian beneficiaries through secure land tenure is climate justice, as it recognizes the disproportionate impacts of climate change on these vulnerable groups while also seeking solutions that address its root causes.
“Many Filipinos cannot afford to eat rice for every meal. No more wasted rice on the tables of farmers and workers?”
“If Marcos Jr., as the president of the country and a former head of this department, didn’t resolve the agriculture and food crisis, now, he appointed an oligarch.”
Rural peoples in different countries in Asia kicked off mobilizations geared towards the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties 28 (COP 28) in Dubai come November.
“There is an urgency to reinstate NFA’s functions that were removed by the Rice Liberalization Law. Only then can the NFA have an influence on the local rice industry that is now dominated by the private sector. One of the priorities now is to be able to lower the price of rice and to make it affordable.”
“The government must really pay attention to agriculture. Else, only landowners and proprietors, not farmers and farm workers, will benefit. We, farm workers, are working towards having better conditions, including fair share to yields.”
Peasant groups said that the proposed budget for agriculture is insufficient and that this shows how improving the local food production is not important to the Marcos Jr. administration.
Farmers of Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac province urged the government to reopen land distribution in a motion for reconsideration filed on Aug. 8.
Agricultural workers and farmers remain in endless wait as agrarian reform takes a backseat under the Marcos Jr. administration.