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Ilocos farmers, churches, gov’t employees unite vs. globalization

Peasant Month in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley

Vigan City, Ilocos Sur (Oct. 23) — Over 300 rallyists led by peasant groups and human rights advocates took to the streets of this city on Oct. 21 and urged local officials to give prompt action on the predicament of Ilocos farmers, who are reeling from the worsening twin burdens of feudal exploitation and militarization.

The rally was led by the Ilocos-wide farmers’ group Solidarity of Peasants Against Exploitation (STOP-Ex), sectoral organizations under the umbrella of BAYAN-Ilocos, and the Ilocos Human Rights Advocates (IHRA).

Earlier this week, farmers, government employees, and members of the church forged unity against the continued onslaught of globalization in this province through a series of dialogues and discussions initiated by STOP-Ex with the National Food Authority-Employees Association (NFA-EA) Region I, the clergy assembly of the Nueva Segovia Archdiocese, and Ilocos Sur farmers.

The NFA-EA and its provincial leaders declared their support to farmers in the call for the government to increase the procurement fund of the agency and the amount of palay purchased from the farmers. NFA-EA President Cecilia Concubierta also stressed their group’s stance against the abolition of the NFA.

Dialogue with farmers

STOP-Ex, NFA-EA, and the Provincial Farmers Action Council (PFAC) organized a dialogue with farmers recently, where they agreed that the justified price of palay should not go lower than P12. Also discussed in the dialogue were the problems of landlessness, usury, poor agricultural services and facilities; and the call for the government to abandon its globalization policy to save the lives of the farmers.

“Farmers are always at the losing end, despite the very high cost of production and hard work that we have invested in our crops, prices are still very low, we are always being left at the mercy of traders, the cartels and the transnational corporations,” said Avelino Dacanay, secretary general of STOP-Ex.

Clergy’s peasant advocacy

“These are long and recurring issues, which have again awakened us. The main point here is what can we do as a church,” said Rev. Abbot Rey Santos Rabang on the agricultural trade liberalization impacts in the province.

STOP-Ex Chairperson Julian Daoa, shared to the clergy assembly the ongoing campaigns, the gains of the peasant movement and the pressing issues faced by the Ilocos peasantry, which ranges from landlessness, very poor agricultural support and services from the government, usury, to rampant violations of human rights due to the massive military deployment in the communities.

Ilocos Human Rights Advocates (IHRA) Secretary General Sherwin de Vera discussed the effects of militarization and its impacts to the human rights situation in the countryside.

The results of the different fact-finding missions in RSOT (Re-Engineered Special Operations Team)–encamped areas, cases filed against STOP Exploitation leaders and members, the ABRA 14, the Perez-Bedaña abduction and the continuous harassments, red-tagging and surveillance of known leaders of progressive organizations were also discussed during the dialogue.

“Among the missions of Jesus Christ is to liberate his people from darkness and lead them towards the fullness of life, thus we should heed the cries and anguish of God’s people,” de Vera challenged to the clergy.

Culmination

De Vera said that instead of listening and acting on the peasants’ legitimate demands, the government responded instead with military coarseness and state-imposed violence against the growing organized peasant movement.

“With such response from the government, the people have no other choice but to unite broaden, and strengthen their ranks to oust Gloria Arroyo and move towards a society free from exploitation, foreign domination, and a peace based on social justice,” were the parting words of Romy Sanchez, Secretary General of BAYAN-Ilocos. # via NORDIS

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