"All for Land, Bread, and Justice!"
It is not surprising that while the government recognises highest poverty incidence in poor-stricken farmers and fisherfolks, they downplay if not deny the cry of these toiling masses but instead silencing them.
In fact, for many years, Filipino farmers considered October as "peasant month", with protests culminating every 21st, this event marks the recognition of farmers who also serves as the backbone of the National Economy.
However, despite recognising by succeeding administrations the hard work of the Filipino farmer, most remain landless. Its agrarian reform programs all from past to present failed to address landlessness but rather facilitated the reconcentration of agricultural land to landlords in connivance with corrupt bureaucrats and even multinational agribusiness conglomerates, what more reclassifying if not changing crops from local needs to that of what international market demands.
What more that in this COVID19 pandemic, this time demanding for greater subsidy and necessary support for as these farmers, fisherfolks, and their families have been also affected by this pandemic problem, coupled by limited movement and even harassment by authorities, hence hindering their work.
And now as these peasant folks marching towards Mendiola, all despite seeing riot police and other security forces with high-powered firearms waiting for them, these peasant folks still continue to demand for land, bread, and justice.
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Also within this peasant month includes an international event. That last October 16 this event commemorated the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and is known as the "World Food Day", with people around the world come together declaring their commitment to eradicate hunger in lifetime. "Because when it comes to hunger, the only acceptable number in the world is zero" as what the statement goes.
Quite optimistic as the world promises to eradicate hunger- all despite the problems hindering food security and sovereignty ranging from unjust policies to that of climate change. But in case of the Filipinos, the right for food, like the right for livelihood, seems to be not prioritised by the order, if not making everyone concerned thinking "should food be meant to sustain the nation or by simply exporting it?" Pardon for the thought especially when big agribusiness conglomerates produce food meant for export like pineapples to that of sugar, while smallholders burdened with taxes, rent, while having low income brought by the government's reliance on foodstuff importation. Isn't it that ridiculous that the order promises to eradicate hunger, yet those who create food rather treated as showoffs.
Quite optimistic as the world promises to eradicate hunger- all despite the problems hindering food security and sovereignty ranging from unjust policies to that of climate change. But in case of the Filipinos, the right for food, like the right for livelihood, seems to be not prioritised by the order, if not making everyone concerned thinking "should food be meant to sustain the nation or by simply exporting it?" Pardon for the thought especially when big agribusiness conglomerates produce food meant for export like pineapples to that of sugar, while smallholders burdened with taxes, rent, while having low income brought by the government's reliance on foodstuff importation. Isn't it that ridiculous that the order promises to eradicate hunger, yet those who create food rather treated as showoffs.
In fact, few days ago, this writer read an article that Agriculture Secretary William Dar underscores the importance of growing, sustaining, and nourishing together especially that of the poor being the most vulnerable sector towards hunger and malnutrition. He even announced that a new program on food was approved by the Inter Agency Task Force Against COVID19 to address issues related to the hunger problem. Even mentioned that he has already instructed the re-alignment of programs under the National Rice Program and the Philippine Rice Research Center to address the emerging rice requirement of the people.
But from his message he emphasized that importation will be a last resort to support the department’s goal of achieving food sufficiency level for all commodities- way contrary that of the administration's action via the rice tariffication law that flooded cheap imported rice making farmers earning low income! What a contradiction as a concerned would say, especially that farmers and fisherfolks affected by this liberalisation protested against the laws that hinders self-sufficiency, food security, and sovereignty.
But from his message he emphasized that importation will be a last resort to support the department’s goal of achieving food sufficiency level for all commodities- way contrary that of the administration's action via the rice tariffication law that flooded cheap imported rice making farmers earning low income! What a contradiction as a concerned would say, especially that farmers and fisherfolks affected by this liberalisation protested against the laws that hinders self-sufficiency, food security, and sovereignty.
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Ironically, farmers and fisherfolks did vote for Duterte being a provinceman and thus likely to address their concerns; last 2016 he appointed Rafael Mariano as Agrarian Reform Secretary, whose serious approach to Agrarian Reform earned support from the peasants and created ire from the landlords who, in connivance with bureaucrats, ousted him along with other concerned members of the cabinet. It is not surprising, for the fact that agrarian reform in the Philippines was driven by the thought of shutting the poor folk up from expressing dissent; and still these folks continue to march and express their grievances as these rural despots consolidating their interests becoming agrarian reform that of a ruse. For Duterte's followers would say "he tries to make his best" in addressing the peasant problem, that he ordered the current secretary to "implement agrarian reform" and that includes "going down to meet the farmers." But sadly, he's the same Duterte who rather support the landlord, the agribusiness conglomerate, and the scrupulous trader as laws like the Rice Tariffication Law and other decrees calling for low tariffs on meat and fish will not bring down the prices of rice and other foodstuffs but also endanger the country’s food security.
And to think that the agrarian reform under Duterte exists, then how come in Central Luzon alone, thousands of hectares of land are converted to pave way for Duterte’s Build, Build, Build projects, mining operations, and other so-called development projects. The Aerotropolis project of San Miguel affected fisherfolks as their source of livelihood end to be filled with earth for an airport! Worse, to hear reports like landgrabbing and land-use conversion all in the name of "development" that's brought under the current administration? Not surprising that these farmers who once snared by Duterte's message end realised he's same as that of his predecessors: that they use agrarian reform to silence than to empower the farmer and its community.
And in speaking of "silencing", it is the same Duterte whose counterinsurgency programs sow fear and terror, especially with that of successive and rampant killings of peasants, forced and fake surrenders, illegal arrests and imprisonment of leaders and members of peasant organizations and bombing of communities. And these justified under Memorandum Order No. 32 in Negros Island, Samar and Bicol together with Executive Order No. 70 (establishing the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or NTF-ELCAC).
From their actions, what more of its justifications would say that the administration's treatment of dissent especially from the toiling masses is that of a crime against the state, and the action taken justifies the thought that his attack dogs also serve as protector and goons of the ruling order: that of despotic landlords, compradores, and bureaucrats who use state terror to justify landgrabbing to that of development aggression. Apologists would still strongly deny this as they instead insist those who killed as either rebels themselves, being killed by the rebels, or worse, collateral damage.
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Perhaps, no matter how the order downplays the plight of Filipino farmers and fisherfolks or gaslights them because of their just calls, these affected folks will never yield to their whims. True it may be that the order recognises poverty incidence in poor-stricken farmers and fisherfolks, but since policies continue to wallow the toiling masses to its poverty, then it's bullshit. No wonder right was Amihan's Zenaida Soriano, from a 2018 peasant month article by Bulatlat that "President Rodrigo Duterte has no agrarian reform agenda" since the last reform program bill from the past administration was expired, and yet "Land distribution won't stop" as what authorities trying to insist, only rather end bent its objectives in favour of those trying to upheld their interests, what more that other laws are trying to deprive their livelihood, and in extension, the nation's food security and sovereignty.