155 farmers demanding full accounting of Marcos Wealth spending charged
Written by Dong Calmada
Thursday, 09 June 2005
A total of 155 farmers who trooped to the Department of Land Reform to demand for a full accounting of the Marcos Wealth were later dispersed by the Special Weapons Action Team (SWAT) and police forces and later charged with malicious mischief and public disturbance.
At first, the farmers went to the office of the DLR Secretary Rene Villa for a dialogue. One of the legitimate demands for the dialogue is an accounting of the Marcos Wealth spending, which by law should be used directly for agrarian reform.
Upon learning that Villa would not be able to come to the dialogue, the farmers responded by staging a silent protest by lying down on the floor. The protest lasted from 10:00 am till 5:00 pm. In mid-afternoon, the farmers were informed that Villa would show up to meet the farmers. But at 5:30 pm, there was no sight of the Secretary. This disappointed the farmers, who later staged a peaceful occupation of the Secretary’s office. “Pakiramdam namin, dalawang beses kaming pinatay sa araw na ito. Dalawang beses kaming umasa na may Kalihim kaming makakausap. Pero wala rin pala. Walang pinag-iba ang kasalukuyang administrasyon sa pamunuan ng mga nakaraan,” Ka Julito Diaz, UNORKA President, said. (“We felt that we were killed twice during the day. We twice anticipated that we would meet with the Secretary. We were disappointed. The situation today is no different from that during the previous administrations.”)
At 9:30 pm, the SWAT and police forces physically dispersed the farmers. Several SWAT members could not control themselves from attacking the farmers with truncheons. “Sa ginawa nilang ito, di mapigilang mahimatay ang isang kasamahan namin,” Ka Vangie Mendoza, UNORKA former President, said of her fellow woman leader. (“Because of that brutality, one fellow woman farmer fainted.”)
The farmers could not believe that the DLR and police forces would treat them inhumanely. “Hindi kami hinayaang kumain at uminom ng tubig. Pinatayan pa kami ng ilaw. Tinakot pa kami. Tapos ipinalalabas pa nila na kami ay NPA at may dalang armas,” Ka Erik Cabanit, UNORKA Secretary General, complained. “Patunay lamang ito na mababa ang kanilang pagtingin sa magsasaka.” (“They did not allow us to eat our own food, even to drink water. They threatened us. They even had the guts to make it appear that we were members of the NPA and had arms.”)
The farmers are now detained at the Camp Karingal, waiting for the processing of their case. In the meantime, they pleaded for support from other groups and individuals so that their health and safety would not be risked. “Kailangan namin ng tulong para sa pagkain, tubig, at suportang panligal. Gusto naming makalaya agad at ituloy ang laban para repormang agraryo. Magsasampa rin kami ng kaso laban sa DLR dahil sa kanilang ginawa sa amin.” Diaz said. (“We need support for food, water and legal assistance. We wish to be released soon so that we can pursue the fight for agrarian reform. We will file counter-charges against the DLR for their deplorable act.”) Dong B. Calmada for PEACE and UNORKA
Landless farmers troop to Senate, call Osmeña and SB 2553 anti-agrarian reform
Written by Dong Calmada
Monday, 02 June 2003
At least 300 farmers from central and southern parts of Luzon, all struggling for just piece of land that they can call their own, will mount, starting today, a camp-out in front of the House of Senate, Manila. The action is aimed at sounding a public alarm that if passed, the proposed bill will cause the death of agrarian reform, thereby affecting millions of landless and near-landless folks nationwide.
Under Senate Bill 2553, also known as “Farmland as Collateral” bill, Sections 6 and 27 of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law or RA 6657 of 1988 are sought to be amended. Section 6 of CARL limits the retention right of landowner to five hectares only. Under SB 2553, this limit is lifted, thus, giving the landowner much leeway to ask for greater size of land as his/her retention right.
Likewise, Section 27 of CARL prohibits beneficiaries from selling, transferring or conveying except through hereditary succession lands for the period of 10 years. Once again, SB 2553 seeks to lift this limit, with an end in view of allowing a farmer options to sell or transfer his/her land. One option being boasted by the bill is the farmer’s option to apply for loans, subjecting his/her land as collateral. But the bill does not guarantee (nor do the authors) that farmers will have access to loans from commercial banks.
The farmers mounting the camp-out will not take the bill sitting down. Apart from attending the formal session inside the Senate plenary, they will also hold a program where farmer-representatives will deliver speeches to publicly denounce the bill. The rest will chant slogans that point to the irresponsibility of Senator Sergio Osmeña, author of the Senate Bill.
Ka Monina Magsico, concurrent President of the Pambansang Ugnayan ng mga Nagsasariling Lokal na Samahan sa Kanayunan (UNORKA), claimed that the bill favors the rich, particularly the politically influential landed elite like the Osmeñas and Cojuangcos in the Visayas. “Imbes na lumiit ang agwat ng mga mayayaman at mahihirap, lalu pang titingkad ang kontradiksyon dahil ang lupa ay mananatiling pag-aari ng mga panginoong maylupa (Instead of closing the gaping gap between the rich and poor, the bill will further intensify this contradition because the landlords will still own the lands),” she added.
In a statement, UNORKA deplored that the Senate Bill is being imposed by the authors, along with their landed supporters, so that the gains of agrarian reform will eventually get reversed. If the bill is passed, it will be tantamount to governments turning its back on its commitment to help uplift the rural poor from the mire of poverty. “It’s a complete betrayal of State’s responsibility as enshrined in the Philippine Constitution of 1987,” Dong Calmada, National Coordinator of PEACE Foundation, stressed. “Charter change in the offing and this Senate Bill 2553 that blatantly kills agrarian reform. An invitation to a peasant revolt.”
Senate Inquiry on the Marcos Wealth is Overdue
Written by Dong Calmada
Wednesday, 25 January 2006
Senate Inquiry on Marcos Wealth is Overdue!
Make Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Liable for the Misuse of the Marcos Wealth!
The recent media mileage received by the issue of Marcos Wealth, thanks to the inquiry done by the Philippine Senate, is a welcome development. However, we consider that Senate’s initiative as long overdue. The Senate seems to have so overslept about the issue.
Early last year, the Bantay Marcos Wealth and Coconut Levy Coalition (BMW) exposed to the media and the Lower House cases of corruption involving former DAR Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan and high officials at the Department of Agriculture and National Irrigation Authority (NIA). These cases are as follows:
P30 M anomalous project in Calauag that benefited private individuals
P540 M allocated to finance various projects of the National Irrigation Administration in different regions of the country
P544 M to finance the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program at the height of the election campaign in 2004
P4.9 B purportedly in cash advances for landowners’ compensation for the year 2003 includes operational expenses of the DAR and other CARP implementing agencies.
The first two cases we were able to file with the Office of the Ombudsman. We could not stomach the fact that former DAR Secretary Pagdanganan caused the use of the P30M from the Marcos Wealth to set up a private corporation in Calauag under the guise of benefiting agrarian reform beneficiaries in the municipality. We cannot even imagine government officials using the Marcos Wealth for irrigation projects that have benefited not our poor farmers but the local officials conditioned to support the Presidential candidacy of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in May 2004.
The GMA Rice Program, by the name itself, was a tool for boosting the candidacy of Mrs. Arroyo, in the same fashion as the anomalous irrigation projects. PARRDS’ paper trail research showed that portions of the P544 million were used not for rice distribution but for infrastructure expenses, primarily farm-to-market roads, under the nebulous heading of ‘capital outlays’.
The fourth case—4.9 billion pesos used to refund the Land Bank of the Philippines’ (LBP) cash advances in landowners’ compensation and DAR’s operations in 2003—was confirmed by the DAR itself. We cannot fathom why the funds allocated in 2004 would be used to cover up the budget gap of the previous year.