Militant Greetings from APC

Season's Greetings from SRED

BKF Commemorates Martyred Intellectuals Day

Last December 14, the Bangladesh Krishok Federation (BKF) and its national coalition commemorated Shaheed Buddhijibi Dibosh (Martyred Intellectuals Day) by placing floral wreaths at the Intellectuals’ graveyard.

On that day in 1971, renowned academics, doctors, engineers, journalists, teachers and other eminent personalities were dragged blindfolded out of their homes in Dhaka and killed in cold blood by the Pakistani army with the intention of intellectually crippling the newly-born nation. This happened two days before the Pakistani army surrendered to the Indian military and Mukhti Bahini forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War, as the former already sensed their imminent defeat.

For reference:
Pathal Lal Golder (Phone: 0088-02-9559980; Mobile: 0088-01716056847E-mail: pathaklal@yahoo.com, Pathaklal@gmail.com)

“Junk CARP!” farmer-solon insists

NEWS RELEASE
December 11, 2008

“Junk CARP!” farmer-solon insists
CBCP asked to resist evils of CARP

A militant peasant leader cum lawmaker today has drawn the lines against groups calling for the extension of a “pro-landlord and anti-peasant Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.”

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairperson and Anakpawis party-list Representative Rafael Mariano today reiterated calls on Congress to “junk the government’s pro-landlord Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.”

“The Filipino peasantry’s 20-year experience under the sham CARP only led to the further strengthening of landlord, local and foreign agribusiness corporations’ monopoly and control of vast tracts of agricultural lands in the country,” says Mariano.

Mariano said that “the CARP provided non-land transfer schemes, like the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) scheme in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac, Corporative Scheme in the Cojuangco lands in Negros Occidental, Leasehold Operations and other schemes of corporate venture arrangements, which exempted vast tracts of landholdings of big landlords and agro-corporations from actual and physical distribution to farmer-beneficiarie s. In addition, the establishment of Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) laid the ground for corporate intervention and control of agribusinesses over vast tracts of lands.”

The Anakpawis lawmaker said that “for more than two decades of the CARP’s implementation, land-grabbing intensified in the form of land-use conversions. Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) records showed that from 1979 to December 31, 2003, there were 2,885 approved applications for conversion involving 40,485.9124 hectares of agricultural lands, while the National Statistics Office (NSO), in 2002, cited that 827,892 hectares of agricultural land have been converted to other uses.”

Mariano stressed that “to protect, preserve and maintain ownership and control over the land, big landlords have resorted to the filing of cancellation of Certificates of Land Transfer (CLTs), Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs), and Emancipation Patents (EPs) distributed to farmer-beneficiarie s under CARP.”

“According to IBON Foundation, more than 2,000 EPs and CLOAs, covering 380,000 hectares of land, were cancelled by the middle of 2004,” peasant leader stressed.

“The most controversial land-grabbing cases and threats of farmers displacement in the country,” says Mariano includes “the 8,650 hectares of land in Hacienda Looc, Nasugbu, Batangas, the more than 28,000 hectares of land in Hacienda San Antonio and Santa Isabel in the province of Isabela, 35,000 hectares of lands in South Cotabato remains under the control of Dole Philippines, the whole island of Mindanao has become the heart of contract growing and leaseback arrangements depriving millions of farmers of their right to own the lands.”

Mariano also challenged the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines not to allow themselves to be used in the continuing deceptions and machinations by landlords and other groups in calling for the extension of the bogus and anti-peasant CARP.

“We call on the CBCP to resist the evils of CARP and instead support the peasant majority who did not benefit from the bogus CARP. It is not ‘CARP or nothing’ for the Filipino peasantry and we are not left without any option. We are more than willing to intensify our struggle in the countryside to own the land we till,” the peasant lawmaker said.

Mariano also chided the so-called reforms being introduced to the CARP as “mere icings on a rotten cake.’

“No amount of cosmetics can make the CARP appear to be pro-farmer. Extending CARP will not end the farmers’ struggle and their continuing long marches from their farms to the cities,” the militant solon said.

He called on fellow lawmakers to “enact a new and truly distributive land reform program embodied in House Bill 3059 filed by the progressive party-list bloc in the House.” #

Peasant Group Decry Human Rights Violation

PRESS RELEASE
December 11, 2008
References:
Danilo Ramos, Phone: +632-9284184
Erpan Faryadi , E-mail: agra_pusat@yahoo.com

Asian Peasant Group Decry Human Rights Violation

On the occasion of the 60th International Human Rights Day on December 10, the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) is calling on all its member organizations to be more vigilant in defending their human rights especially their rights to land, seeds, resources and livelihood.

Danilo Ramos, APC Secretary-General and concurrent Secretary-General of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philippines) said in a statement made yesterday, “At this point, governments in Asia cannot be trusted nor expected to uphold the human rights of its citizens. More often, fascist states are the number one violators of human rights. Unfortunately, the Philippines had probably had the bloodiest human rights record among so-called democracies in Southeast Asia.”

“The human rights group Karapatan in its Human Rights Report for 2008, said that human rights defenders have been tagged as “enemies of the state” by the Arroyo government and harshly dealt with as such. Karapatan has documented 977 extrajudicial killings of civilians of which 528 where KMP members since Arroyo assumed office in 2001,” Ramos added.

Erpan Faryadi, APC Vice-Chairperson for Internal Affairs and also Secretary-General of Aliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria (Alliance of Agrarian Reform Movements) adds, “The peasant sector is one of the highly victimized and is constantly oppressed by state forces who are involved in land conflicts. Last August 2008 in Indonesia, three peasant activists were forcibly taken by the police after attending a peaceful demonstration to defend their land.”

“In India , indigenous people and farmers alike are constantly being displaced due to government initiated special economic zones project. The peasants have no place to live, no means of livelihood, and the environment is polluted due to processing plants,” added Faryadi.

Ramos further points out that “what we are experiencing today clearly states that our human rights that are supposed to be celebrated today were continuously violated. We are joining the people worldwide in commemorating the International Human Rights Day, and call for a stop in political repression and persecution. Specifically in the Philippines, we call to halt extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and arrest and detention. We are also urging the peasants in Asia to strengthen our ranks and intensify our struggle for land and genuine freedom." ###

Condolence to SRED activist

On November 5, 2008, the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) has extended its deepest condolence to the family, relatives, friends and colleagues of Mr. Murugesan – a dedicated activist of the Society for Rural Education and Development (SRED). Together with SRED, he helped fight for the rights of the Irula and Dalit communities.

He spent more than 23 years of his dear life serving SRED by coordinating programs and working for the liberation of the Irullars and aiding the victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami. Even his last breath was spent defending the rights of the masses. He passed away in the morning of November 1 while participating in a public meeting in Arakonam, pressuring the Indian government to protect the lives of the Srilankan Tamils.

An activist like Mr. Murugesan will surely be missed by his colleagues but his legacy shall continue to live in our hearts and serve as an inspiration for the cause we are all fighting for.

20 years of CARP never gave farmers lands

“Hope is at your struggle not at CARP”, KMP told farmers calling for CARP extension

The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) reminded the members, not the leaders of farmer organizations calling for the extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). The group also shared the lesson that resolute struggle would keep them on their farms not CARP which is peppered with holes and exemptions that serve the interest of the landlords.

“CARP is already 20 years old, if it is human, he is already an adult that could marry and have children, but still the landless remain landless and the landlords, foreign and local corporations are reconcentrating and gaining control over vast agricultural lands through CARP, do we still need to argue about ending or extending it?” Danilo Ramos, KMP Secretary-General opened in a press statement.

“We have our rich experiences with CARP that taught us it essentially anti-peasant and pro-landlord,” he added. “During the late 90s and early part of the millenium, we mobilized and struggled for issues such as Hacienda Looc, which the Fil-Estate landgrabbed, but CARP ruled against the farmer-beneficiaries, exempted it though it is agriculturally-productive. But because of the peasant movement at the area, fighting for their rights, being harassed and terrorized by the AFP, they remain at the area able to cultivate their lands,” Ramos recalled. “Even those from other groups have recent experiences of land occupation that concretely keep them on the lands, it is not the doing of the CARP but of their united efforts and struggles,” he added.

“Of course, we could never overlook the Hacienda Luisita experience, the Stock-Distribution Option is itself a CARP provision, but it only caused the P9 per day economic state of the legitimate farmer-beneficiaries. The very first time they reaped the fruits of their labor were when they waged the strike and gained control over the lands, they are now cultivating rice and vegetables that they could eat, unlike before that they were all sugarcane,” added Ramos.

“Our chapters in Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation (FMMR) in Nueva Ecija are also being ejected and terrorized by the AFP, that is even if they are CLOA (Certificate of Land Ownership Awards)-holders and belong to an ARC (Agrarian Reform Community). The military and Arroyo’s program of ‘super-regions’ are planning to displace them,” Ramos mentioned of the situation of the FMMR farmers.

“Our farmer members in Bukidnon, who were CLOA-holders were also victimized by CARP, it exempted Central Mindanao University lands from distribution though it is idle and farmers have been there for decades. Their crops are always destroyed by CMU security guards causing their livelihood, a baby even died because her mother’s milk were already drawn out. But because they are ceaselessly fighting for their rights to land, they are still at their farms,” he added.

“CARP also never touched the feudal set-up in Hacienda Roxas, Yulo, Fule, Revillas and more in Southern Tagalog region, it is like a time-space warp when you go to those areas. It is also the same with the lands of Danding Cojuangco, Arroyo, Enrile, Araneta, Ayala, Lopez and other big landlords in the country,” reiterated Ramos. “The landlords and landlord congressmen love CARP because it kept and protected their control over vast lands, peasants should call for its junking, and propose a more pro-peasant agrarian reform program such as the House Bill 3059 or Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill,” he added.

KMP reminded farmer members of other groups to affirm their rights to land and be cautious of their leaders who collude with landlords and corrupt DAR officials. “Be vigilant and analyze their historical record of struggle, weed out those who raked CARP funds in conspiracy with landlords and DAR officials. They are selling out farmer-beneficiaries as CARP is like a livelihood showcase for them, they would not survive without it,” Ramos reminded.

“Instead of reviving of a dead CARP, join us in our call for genuine agrarian reform and make your effort and sacrifices meaningful so that your children could enjoy the fruits of your harvest on your lands,” Ramos affirmed.#

FOR REFERENCE:
DANILO RAMOS, KMP Secretary-General
ROY MORILLA, KMP Public Information Officer (+63-905-421-73-05)

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Hunger Strike for Khas Land

Last November 30, the Barisal district committee of Bangladesh Krishok Federation (BFK) and Bangladesh Kishani Sabha (BKS), both members of the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) successfully organized a hunger strike calling for the distribution of Khas land to the landless peasants. The people protested in front of the Barisal district Commissioner’s Office. Hundreds of landless farmers participated in the event.

Their demands were:

• Distribution of Khas land of Rasulpur Char to the landless peasants who have been residing in the area permanently
• Eviction of big landlords who take advantage of public lands
• Withdrawal of all fake cases filed by big landowners against the landless leaders including BFK Barisal district convenor, Harun Bhandari