As Benilde’s Student Trainers commenced #WeCan2020 advocacy week with #WeCanSpeak: Hinaing Ng Bukid webinar via Zoom, yesterday, August 11. The said webinar shed light on problems faced by Filipino farmers and fishermen through history and analysis of current situations on land rights and weakening livelihood brought by the global pandemic.

The first speaker, human rights activist since 1991 and Secretary General of Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK) Orly Marcellana, opened the advocacy week with his talk that tackled the brief history and current struggles of Filipino farmers. 

He cited the  Republic Act (RA) 11203, also known as the Rice Tariffication Law, and the current global pandemic as one of the burdens to the country’s farmers today.

“Ang mga magsasaka sa timog katagalugan ay dumaranas po ng matinding kahirapan, mas lalo na po ‘yung mga kapatid nating magsasaka sa palayan, sapagkat mahigit na po sa isang taon mula ng isabatas ang Rice Tarrification Law na kung saan nagpabagsak po ito sa industriya ng palay,” Marcellana emphasized. 

He also stated that the production costs are shouldered by the farmers, whereas their earnings are not enough to cover the production cost.

“Ang kikitain lang po ng mga magsasaka ay 10,000-15,000 pesos kung saan sa 30 araw, kikita lang po sila ng 220 [pesos], pinaka mataas na ang 250 [pesos]  […] ‘yan po ang kalagayan ng ating mga magsasaka, napakahirap po magsaka subalit matapos nila magsaka bagsak naman po ang produkto halos hingin na lamang ng komersyal ang mga produkto,” he stated. 

Moreover, Marcellana cited RA 9700, also known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988, as another law which failed to achieve its goal in prioritizing the welfare of landless farmers.

“Maraming mga malalawak na lupain o mga hacienda ang hindi na nabuwag, katulad lamang po ng Hacienda Yulo na kung saan hanggang ngayon po ay mayroong kaguluhan at tensyon sapagkat pilit pong binabakuran at pinapalayas ang mga magsasaka sa Sitio Buntog,” he said. 

Furthermore, the Yulo King Ranch in Palawan, Hacienda Looc in Batangas, and Hacienda Zobel in Batangas are among the lands that the Agrarian Reform Law failed to cover.

He also said that the Taal eruption has caused a big impact to the livelihoods of fishermen and  farmers residing within the area, saying “Maraming mga mangingisda ang hindi pa rin nakabalik sa kanilang paninirahan.”

Moreover, KASAMA-TK has coordinated with various student volunteer groups and the Catholic Church to help farmers and fishermen whose livelihood were impacted by the community quarantine as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) only gives help to those covered by the Land Reform while the Department of Agriculture (DA) only provides help to those who are a member of farmer’s organizations they have established.

“Napakarami pong indibidwal na magsasaka at mangingisda na hindi saklaw ng mga organisasyong itinatag ng DAR at DA,” Marcellana emphasized. 

“Napakahalaga ng papel na ginagampanan ng mga magsasaka at mangingisda sa panahon ng pandemya para makapaghatid ng mga sariwang pagkain sa ating mga kababayan,” he also added. 

In a span of five months of community quarantine, according to Marcellana, a number of human rights violations towards the country’s farmers and fishermen were recorded such as the killing of peasant advocate, Anakpawis Chair and KASAMA member Randy Enchanis last August 10.

To help support Filipino farmers, contact 0906 6516 036 or 0965 541 844 to order products of Filipino farmers or visit KASAMA-TK ‘s official Facebook page.

In the perspective of an artist—contribution towards agriculture

Second speaker, Co-convenor of Samahang Artista para sa Kilusang Agraryo (SAKA) Donna Miranda, discussed how artists can contribute to the cultural movements to empower agriculture. 

“As stewards of creativity, we artists, consequently, act as guardians of freedom, autonomy, self-reliance and self-criticality. Art history stands witness to this quest, with every art movement bookmarked by the introduction and incubation of new forms of producing and imagining the world,” Miranda said in her opening statement. 

She described the Philippines as a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society. Whereas it is considered semi-colonial because since its nominal independence in 1946, it remains under the indirect rule of US imperialism through the parties and politicians of the local exploiting classes.

Moreover, the country was also dubbed as a semi-feudal society because while the economy remains agricultural it provides services not only to the domestic landlord class but also the big comprador bourgeoisie and foreign capitalists.

“It is the system responsible not only to the poverty and hunger in the Philippines but also of the shrinking democratic space for people to exercise their guaranteed human and political rights,” Miranda emphasized. 

She also cited that seven to eight farmers out of 10 are landless and work under slave-like conditions in sugar plantations. Because the Philippines may be the deadliest country for farmers, activists, and environmentalists, this state becomes a  problem faced by Filipino farmers as their democratic space in the country shrinks.

Furthermore, according to Miranda, as of August 11, there are about 262 peasant killings in the country.

Moreover, Miranda said the art market, art institutions and presentational platforms remain under the sway of the rich and influential who also happen to be of the landlord class and big comprador bourgeoisie such as Lorenzo family of Lapanday foods corporation who owns the biggest art gallery in Metro Manila Lorenzo Silverlens Gallery, and CEO of Jollibee foods corporation Ernesto Tanmantiong who sits as a Chairman of board of trustees of Ateneo Art Gallery.

In terms of tasks or contribution of art, culture and knowledge workers towards agriculture, Miranda cited the word Filipino word bago, which can be interpreted in three different meanings in English, as SAKA’s guide in advancing the struggle of national democracy:

• “Bago“ = Before 

Take stock of the successes of the people’s struggle for land, justice, and life and as they look back, SAKA will re-examine the reactionary government’s self-sabotaged efforts to redistribute land and uplift farmers from conditions of poverty and powerlessness.

• “Bago” = Change

Participate in creating the conditions that will shift power from the landlord class to the peasant class, to move the control of land from the hands of transnational corporations and their partner compradors to those of the workers who participate directly in production. 

• “Bago” = New

Reaffirm SAKA’s commitment to the national democratic revolution such as anti-colonial/anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle, that upholds the Filipino people’s right to self-determination; Filipino’s right to determine and develop national and human resources for their own needs and development, and first and foremost Filipinos’ land. 

Even the youth can contribute to ease the struggling Filipino farmers

Meanwhile, National Chairperson of National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates – Youth (NNARA-Youth) Zoe Caballero tackled how the youth can take part in uplifting Filipino farmers. 

According to Caballero, despite the Philippines being an agricultural country, composed of  10.5 million hectares of farms and has 11 land reform programs in totality, seven out of 10 farmers are landless. 

The following are among the Land Reform programs of the country:

• CARP is set to distribute 9.2 million hectare of land to the farmers in the span of 10 years.
• In 1998, the government failed to distribute all lands and extended the program for another 10 years.
• In 2009, CARP Extension with Reforms (CARPer) became a law which extended CARP for another 5 years.
• In December 2013, DAR was only able to distribute 405, 206 hectares out of 1.2 million hectares target over the 5 year extension.
• In June 2014, CARPer expired with about 694, 181 hectares of target lands not distributed, and about 206, 000 hectares of land with no Notice of Coverage (NOC) issued. 

“Bogus itong mga land reform programs na ito, dahil sa kabila ng implementation niya, hindi naman napupunta sa mga magsasaka ‘yung lupa,” Caballero said. 

As an effect of failure of CARP and land displacement of farms, Filipino farmers posted the highest poverty incidence of 31.6% among the basic sectors according to 2018 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.

As students, Caballero cited three steps on how the youth can take part in helping the farmers of the country: Educate, immerse, and organize.

“Ang panawagan na hindi natin lubos na maiintindihan at matutunan ang paghihirap na nadadaranas ng masa, lalo na ang mga pesanteng Pilipino, kung hindi natin ito makikita o mararanasan para sa ating sarili,” she said. 

Moreover, Basic Masses Integration is among the activities conducted by NNARA-Youth to understand the plight of the basic masses such as farmers, workers, urban poor, fisherfolk, and indigeneous people.

In addition, area orientation, production work, relief operations, and family integration, are among the activities that Caballero suggested to the youth which they can do themselves to take part in the plight of Filipino farmers. 

NNARA-YOUTH is open for inquiries and event invites. They can be reached through their official Facebook page, Twitter, and email: nnarayouth@gmail.com.

“#WeCan 2020 Philippine Farmers: The Continuing Plight of Agriculture” is an advocacy week that serves as a platform to raise awareness on timely and relevant societal issues. The next event for this year’s #WeCan are #WeCanCreate: Sa Ngalan ng Umaani, an online art exhibit on August 14 at 1:00 PM; and #WeCanExpress: Tanghalan sa Tinubuang Lupa, a series of livestream performances on August 14 from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Both events can be accessed on Student Trainer’s official Facebook page via Facebook live.

If you missed the #WeCanSpeak webinar, a pre-recorded video can be accessed in Student Trainer’s official Facebook page starting today, August 12.