Ahead of SONA 2020, farmers feel gov’t ‘barely recognizes’ them

With President Rodrigo Duterte already entering his 5th year in office, farmer and fisherfolk groups stressed how their struggles continue to be “ignored” under the present administration.

In their State of the Peasant Address on Saturday, July 25, groups including the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the lack of government support has made farmers go hungry in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic, for one, has forced farmers to throw away unsold vegetables that got spoiled amid lockdowns.

While there are initiatives such as online stores that facilitate direct purchases from farmers and fishermen and local government units buying produce for relief operations, the groups are calling for much more government aid, such as farming subsidies.

“[Farmers] are growing hungry due to the carelessness of the Duterte regime,” said Amihan secretary general Cathy Estavillo in Filipino.

The slow distribution of the second tranche of cash aid under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act also compounded their woes.

Challenges even before pandemic

Even before the pandemic, agricultural laborers were “barely recognized” by the Duterte administration, said Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura chairperson Antonio Flores.

Farming leaders pointed to the dropping prices of vegetables, the rice tariffication law, and the displacement of indigenous peoples to build New Clark City as proof of how their situation has worsened.

Pamalakaya-Pilipinas chairman Fernando Hicap also slammed what he said was the Duterte administration’s failure to defend the rights of fisherfolk in the Philippines’ territorial waters.

Hicap cited the sinking and abandonment of fishing boat Gem-Ver by a Chinese vessel in 2019 and the recent collision of fishing boat Liberty 5 with a Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel as instances where Filipino fishermen needed protection that the administration failed to provide.

“Malinaw po kung bakit ganito ang pagtrato: Alam nila na ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas ay hindi kakampi ng mga mangingisdang Pilipino, siya ay kakampi ng mga Chinese fishing vessel at Chinese cargo ship,” said Hicap. 

(It is clear why this treatment exists: They know that the President of the Philippines is not an ally of Filipino fishermen, but he is the ally of Chinese fishing vessels and Chinese cargo ships.)

Worried about the future of farmers and fishermen under the Duterte administration, the organizations expressed fear that the anti-terror law could be used to intensify red-tagging and violence against labor leaders.

They also oppose any moves for charter change, which they fear would put Filipinos at a disadvantage against foreigners in their own country.

Speaking up

Farmer and fisherfolk groups will be among those banding together for a rally in Quezon City called the United People’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27, the same day of the President’s SONA.

Despite the Quezon City government’s announcement that it would ban public protests on that day, these groups said they will continue defending their rights while observing physical distancing and health protocols.

“Kaisa po ang mga magsasaka, mangingisda, agricultural workers, kababaihang magbubukid, at masang anakpawis sa pagkilos na darating,” said KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos.

(Farmers, fishermen, agricultural workers, women farmers, and the destitute masses are united in the upcoming protest.) – Ally Benitez/Rappler.com