The Philippine State, Society
& Economy, 1998-2001

Oct, 99
Philippine Peasant Campaign
By Kilusang Magbabuk ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) and PAMALAKAYA (National Fishers Association of the Philippines)


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NO TO 100% FOREIGN OWNERSHIP OF LAND !!!

STRUGGLE FOR GENUINE AGRARIAN REFORM !!!

TAKE AGRICULTURE OUT OF WTO !!!

END IMPERIALIST GLOBALIZATION !!!



THE MONTH OF OCTOBER is a traditional peasant campaign month in the Philippines. This peasant campaign has been going-on for 24 years consistently spearheaded by the KILUSANG MAGBUBUKID NG PILIPINAS (KMP) or the Peasant Movement of the Phil., PAMALAKAYA, or the national fishers association of the Phil. and supported by friends and allies from the church, health workers, progressive lawyers and professors, youth and students' organisations and from the militant trade union (KMU and its affiliates).

KMP's PHILIPPINE PEASANT CAMPAIGN for 1999 carries both and links KMP's local and international campaign themes. One, it carries its continuing struggle for agrarian reform which is continuously undermined by the Philippine government. Recently, a broad coalition called "Solidarity Network in Defense for Land" (STAND FOR LAND) was formed to register its opposition to the current move to allow 100% foreign ownership of land under the proposed charter change and the rising militarisation in the countryside being carried out by the Estrada regime against the peasantry and the entire Filipino toiling masses.

Second, these local campaigns serve as KMP's participation and support to LA VIA CAMPESINA's ongoing international campaign in support of agrarian reform and the another campaign to take agriculture out of WTO on the occasion of the forthcoming world leaders' meeting in November in Seattle. Integral to this campaign is KMP's activities protesting the observance of UN's "WORLD FOOD DAY" through its theme of "World Foodless Day".

Under the GATT- WTO design, Philippine agriculture suffered unprecedented devastation. Agricultural trade liberalisation opened the flood gates for the destruction of small producers, widespread dislocation and rural poverty. Massive landgrabbing, displacements and worsening landlessness became inevitable results of the shift of agriculture from staple crop-production to market-oriented agriculture. Rice and corn lands were replaced by the so-called "globally competitive" crops like cut-flowers, asparagus, soya beans and now being introduced are genetically engineered Bt-corn and Bt-rice in big commercial quantities for export. Widespread conversions of agricultural lands to quick-profit projects like the construction of unproductive and elitist golf courses, high rise buildings, luxurious subdivisions and the like resulted in run-away depletion of agricultural lands and caused damages on the environment and biodiversity. Meanwhile, as foreign investments kill local industries and thwart Philippine industrialisation, colossal foreign debts laid down as trap by the IMF/WB provides a quick formula to make governments bankrupt and reduced to mendicancy.

As agriculture has been without support from the government, rural migration to the cities and overseas specially among the women and youth, increase in an even faster rate only to join the huge army of the unemployed in the cities and risk discrimination, health and life abroad.

KMP supports La Via Campesina's call to take agriculture out of WTO. KMP has raised this call in international conferences that it attended and made this a rallying theme in the forthcoming Peoples' Assembly 's "NO TO WTO" conference in Seattle. KMP denounces imperialist globalisation, its multilateral institutions like IMF/WB/WTO and its partners among the local ruling elite for their insatiable greed to amass super profits causing world-wide hunger, impoverishment of the masses of workers and landless peasants, for bio-piracy, for the destruction of the world's ecology and profit-instigated ethnic wars.

The calendar of activities of this year's campaign so far included:

* the gathering of activists "Strengthen Anti-imperialist Solidarity" on October 8;

* the Launching of the broad coalition called STAND FOR LAND (Solidarity Network in Defense for Land) on October 12 to oppose the plan of the Estrada government to allow 100% foreign ownership of land;

* a march-rally of 20,000 demonstrators on October 13 by the biggest militant May First Movement (KMU) composed mostly of workers from more than 20 factories in Metro Manila and their supporters to ask for a nationwide wage hike (supported by PAMALAKAYA, the national fishers association, with a fluvial parade of 11 bancas filled with colourful streamers in Manila Bay);

* a picket-dialogue at the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on October 15 by peasants from KMP-chapter in Bulacan threatened with displacements by a subdivision developer, Sta. Lucia Realty Corp.; a simultaneous re-launching of KONTRA KARTEL (Against Oil CArtels) to protest the monthly price increase of oil and the connivance of the giants in the oil industry (Shell, Caltex, Petron); and a lecture-forum on the same day sponsored by KMU in support of KMP's Peasant Campaign at the University of the Philippines-Manila;

* a forum sponsored by KARAPATAN (Human Rights) on October 16 to discuss Philippine peasant situation and its relation with the human rights work in the urban centres; simultaneously activities in the provinces against fish importation;

* October 18-19 - start of the long march/caravan of KMP-provincial chapters from the North and the South to meet with Central Luzon farmers to proceed to the DAR to keep vigil till the 20th Of October;

* October 20 - friends and supporters form various sectors and organisations welcome the arrival of the marchers, followed by a vigil-camp-out in front of the DAR office and a solidarity program featuring various cultural groups, greetings and reading of solidarity messages;

* October 21 - March/rally towards the presidential palace at Menidola bridge, the site where 13 peasants were killed and scores of marchers where felled by bullets from automatic rifles from the military and police in 1986. Speeches denouncing the continuing landlessness and poverty of the peasantry, the adverse impact of globalisation, the rising militarisation and human rights violations in the countryside and the need to persevere in the struggle for genuine agrarian reform and for national liberation from local and foreign domination, as well as highlighting the international solidarity and cooperation among peasant movements.



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