Arroyo’s selling of country’s lands to fuel heightened agrarian dispute, group said

The militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) warned that President Arroyo’s move on selling lands to foreign countries would cause more agrarian dispute in the country. The Arroyo government has earlier pronounced that it is offering 3 million hectares to foreign agro-corporations which is demonstrated now by the president’s non-stop visits to foreign countries such as Japan, South Korea, Brazil, U.S., Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, U.A.E, Syria, Russia and more.

The said lands are reported to be surveyed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National Commission on Indigenous People’s (NCIP), National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Arroyo government has allocated 1 million hectares to San Miguel Kuok Food Security, Inc. (SMKFS), Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco’s partnership with Malaysian firm Kuok group based in Hongkong, and another 1 million hectares to Fuhua Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. (Fuhua Co., a hybrid rice corporation) from China and 400,000 hectares or 0.4 million hectares to Agriculture Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (ADGZAR). On Arroyo’s recent trip to Korea, she has offered 0.4 million hectares of land to Bio-Energy NL which is based in United Kingdom. The said lands already composed 1/10 (of the 30 million hectares) of our country and 20% (of the about 14.1 million hectares) of the total agricultural lands.

Moreover, the Arroyo has become a “broker” when it is concretely pushing with the lifting of the ban to 100% foreign ownership and Charter Change, coinciding with the demands of the European Union after it has granted €61 million(euros) or $90.22 million last year. Of this aid, €36 million would go to social services like healthcare, €12 million to Mindanao peace effort and €13 million to trade development.

“As a trickster as she is, Arroyo is pushing through with her auction of the country’s lands to foreign countries and agro-corporations even without Chacha (charter change) or the lifting of ban to 100% foreign ownership of land,” said Antonio Flores, KMP Spokesperson and Co-convenor of Tanggol Magsasaka.

“After pushing with the passage of CARPER (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with ‘Reforms’) to deceive Filipino farmers, she is now focused in how to rake huge wealth from selling our country’s lands,” added Flores.

“In addition, she has formed the Investment Defense Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines last year to ‘protect’ the would-be foreign investments in agriculture, but in reality, this would be used to attack and displace farmers who are already cultivating their targetted lands. This would mean worsening of political repression to the peasants, more extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and ‘arrest and detention,’” the peasant leader shared.

“Arroyo and her lackey agriculture secretary Arthur Yap are total liars when they claim that these lands (3 million hectares) are idle, where in fact they are being cultivated by Filipino peasants. We need not go far, where in Sitio Paragawan, Montalban, Rizal, Rep. Iggy Arroyo is pushing with the jathropa project ‘blessed’ by First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, though there are farmers cultivating upland rice and fruit trees, who are now being harassed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),” Flores said.

Also, the group said the entry of foreign agro-corporations would definitely transform peasants into helpless farmworkers such as the case of Dole and Del Monte in Mindanao, where those farmers’ cooperatives who nominally own the lands could not manifest their ownership as the lands are under a leaseback agreement with the giant fruit companies. They are being subjected to low wages and unhealthy working conditions such as being exposed to deadly agro-chemicals used at plantations. Worse is being experience by those farmworkers at Dole and Del Monte’s subsidiary as they depress wages to cope up with the underpricing of agricultural product enforced by the said companies.

“The agricultural workers in Mindanao went on strike in 1996 as they only receive P96 for a day’s work, though they could produce more of the 3,000 boxes of banana quota per day. They were victorious in claiming that they own the said lands but unable to sell them, but they were crippled when the fruit giants prohibited them in using infrastructures such as roads. Naturally, the military and police terrorized them displacing their union leaders,” Flores recalled.

“We are definitely sure that the miserable experience of agricultural workers in Mindanao would be replicated and worse if foreign agro-corporations would be allowed to fully own the lands in the country,” added Flores.

Also, the group warned that if we allow foreign countries to own 1/10 of the country’s lands, it would be the start of totally selling our country to foreigners.

“Nothing would be left for our future generations to enjoy and utilize. Arroyo would be the one to raise hell in the Philippines as we would be transformed into mere slaves in our own country,” said Flores.#