Farmer leaders and beneficiaries calling for CARP Extension without 'Killer' Amendments.








DAVAO CITY— Civil society composed of farmers’ peoples organization., non-government organizations and religious sector unite and urge Congress to pass House Bill 4077 without the amendments being proposed by House Speaker Prospero Nograles and Representative Luis Villafuerte that would only weaken agrarian reform implementation.

House Bill 4077 is the consolidated bill which aims to extend the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program for another five years from 2009 to 2013 with a total budget of P100 billion, being supported by most agrarian reform advocates and farmers' organizations nationwide. The salient features of the said bill are: extension of land acquisition and distribution, funding for support services, liberalized terms on agricultural credit facilities and gender-responsiveness to women beneficiaries.

The group marched from Freedom Park, Roxas Blvd. and passed through Speaker Prospero Nograles' Congressional Office in Quirino Avenue then proceeded to block the newly constructed Gov. Generoso Bridge in Bankerohan to highlight the plight of the small farmers and farmworkers. The marchers chose the bridge which to many symbolizes the rise to power of Cong. Nograles, who became House Speaker just right after the inaguration of the said bridge.

“Kinahanglan pa ug mga hilabihan nga kalihukan susama sa pagbarikada sa dalan aron lang mahibaw-an nila ang among kahimtang. (There is a need for extreme actions such as blockading the bridge for them to know our demands),” Manang Lita Tandag from Compostela Valley lamented.

With little time and different controversial laws pending in Congress, the group is alarmed that the two proposed separate amendments by Speaker Nograles and Rep. Villafuerte will be incorporated with House Bill 4077 that is now up for plenary.

Villafurete proposal seeks to stop the Land Acquisition and Distribution aspect of the program and gives emphasis on the validity of implementing Compulsory Acquisition only for lands issued with notices of coverage on or before June 30, 2008. Furthermore, only lands offered before December 31, 2008 under the Voluntary-Offer-to-Sell scheme will be valid. In short, under the Villafuerte amendment land distribution will no longer applicable after 2008.

House Speaker Nograles on the other hand proposed House Resolution 737 which proposes allowing foreign investors to operate and own vast tracts of agricultural lands. Also, plantations which are under labor administration, cultivated, and developed for exports crops will be excluded from CARP’s Compulsory Acquisition scheme.

“Our House Speaker decided to have a ‘win-win’ solution by including these amendments. But we see it as another compromise disfavoring our small farmers,” May Capili,advocacy officer from Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM) expressed.

The group also vowed to make the anti- agrarian reform legislators especially representatives of their respective provinces accountable to the people. “We will make sure that Mindanao’s rural poor sector will remember their names especially now that election is fast approaching. The people have voted them to be their voice in the legislature but they are doing otherwise,” Rosauro Tapal, secretary-general of UNORKA-Mindanao warned.

The Mindanao Coalition for Agrarian Reform is composed of Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM), Builders for Rural Empowerment and Human Rights Advocates Networks (BRETHREN), Mindanao Farmworkers Development Center (MFDC), Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA), Ugnayan ng mga Lokal na Nagsasariling Organisasyon ng mga Mamamayan sa Kanayunan (UNORKA) and with the support of the Dioceses from Davao, Digos, Tagum and Mati.##

When Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) was ratified, I think we have already sold our country piece by piece. Imagine being the toxic burial place of the Japanese. just like liberalizing our trade in agricultural products, we have also opened our doors for zero tariff on waste to b dumped here in our shores. Economic in expense of what?



















Sadly, our fellow Mindanaoan legislator who holds an important position in the Congress--being a house Speaker, (Davao, 1st District) Rep. Prospero Nograles aims to open Mindanao for investors. The catch, we have to let these foreign investors to have a full ownership of our lands. He passed House Resolution 737 . It assails the constitutional provision, particularly sections 2 and 3, Article 12 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution on national patrimony by allowing foreign investors to operate vast tracts of agricultural lands. Furthermore, plantations which are under labor administration, cultivated, and developed for exports crops, and it will be excluded from Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) Compulsory Acquisition scheme. He claims that for 20 years of CARP implementation, Mindanao has not moved on. He claims that

“Many people are still poor in Mindanao because of the insurgency problem and we have an insurgency problem because there are no investments coming in to help the poor. We have been trapped into this kind of situation for long a time now and there’s nothing we can do about it just because of two provisions in the Constitution"

What a myopic analysis of the problem. Insurgency is a product of landlessness, of unequal distribution of wealth and resources, Mr. house Speaker. He added that by repelling the ownership restriction of the Constitution, it would be possible for Mindanao to move forward because of investment especially coming from Arab investors. He also added that

“Arab investments can be best situated in Mindanao because the insurgency problem in the region is mainly Muslim-related. I think that even members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf will not attack any Arab investment."

Wow! Is that how you view the Mindanao situation? Is that your solve all remedy to the historical injustices committed to our Lumad and Moro brothers and sisters and continuing poverty in the island?

Mindanao is continually hailed as the country’s food basket wherein we contribute 45 to 60% of the national export economy. Ironically, only few rural elites carry this basket, while millions of members of rural poor population filled it up. Being a land of abundance, the stark reality remains that six (6) out of the ten poorest provinces nationwide is here.

Rank Probinsiya Rehiyon Poverty incidence
1 Tawi-Tawi ARMM 78.9
2 Zamboanga del Norte Western Mindanao/ Zamboanga Peninsula 63.0
3 Maguindanao ARMM 62.0
4 Apayao CAR 57.5
5 Surigao del Norte Caraga 53.2
6 Lanao del Sur ARMM 52.5
7 Northern Samar Eastern Visayas 52.2
8 Masbate Bicol 51.0
9 Abra CAR 50.1
10 Misamis Occidental Northern Mindanao 48.8
Source: Philippjne Poverty Statistics, National Statistical Coordination Board.




Not until poverty and inequalities are addressed, insurgency will continue. Giving full ownership to the foreigners will only compound the already very complex problem.

Starting today, members coming from civil society groups join hands to reinstate the call to end the ongoing war in parts of Mindanao. Just right after the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) was declared as "unconstitutional" by Supreme Court, strife way South has escalated leaving children and women vulnerable.

In time also for the Celebration of Mindanao Week of Peace (MWOP) from Nov. 27- Dec.3 , different activities will be conducted to air our voices to the public. There are no victors in war. We lose everything on it- life, properties and our dignity. Lucky for us who sits comfortably on our comfort zones, while the rest of the conflict- affected villages fear for their lives-- always on the look-out to run.

Take action. Take part in MWOP activities. For the list of activities, click here.

Now, the "bakwits" (refugees) themselves have talked and called for the cessation of armed conflict. It is time that peace talks must be resumed. And the government must have learned it lessons now in negotiations . I personally call for a better, more transparent and right tri-people composition of Mindanao in the peace talks. And it must resume NOW!!

Prayers are powerful. It is our open communication to the Great Being. But when it was used by Press Secretary to pray for the health of the President to be able to rule this country until 2010 AND even beyond, the prayer becomes a blunder, a political tool, a self- serving utterance.


In this highly volatile political scenario of our country, I could not help but grimace at Dureza. I mean, is that his "prayers from the heart"? To have the current administration continue its rule beyond 2010?

And Dureza coming from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace PRocess (OPPAP) before becoming the Press Secretary, it made me wonder, does he know their REAL motive behind the now aborted MOA-AD-- not for lasting peace but for political reasons?

Shame.

Partying in CLub Watt without the guilt. Read why.
(Picture taken from NY TImes)







For the youngbloods (The twenty something) who loves to party and gyrate on the dance floor, here's another way not to be guilty. Aside from sweating it out while swigging some beer, how about contributing electricity by dancing?


No don't raise your eyebrows. The Club Watt in Rotterdam, Netherlands discovered a way for sustainable dancing-- a dance floor that harvests the energy emitted by the jumps and bodily movements and convert it to energy.

According to the Club Owner, the electricity is used to power the light show. But if you want to power it for your own oven toaster, you can do so. Based on their calculations, two average people by dancing can light a bulb!

This is another way of reducing electricity consumption. Indirectly, this is another way of mitigating climate change. Tagged as "greener clubbing" , Club Watt owner Mr. Tieleman says it is his own way of raising consciousness, energy experiment but without sacrificing entertainment.

It is still on experimental stage but the concept is really great.

Now with so many disco bars here in the country and yuppies (who likes to party every Friday nights or week-ends), this is should be replicated here.