Sumilao-Banasi Farmers in Tiaong; Calatagan Farmers Starts Its Own!

The pilgrim-farmers started their day yesterday as early as 4:00 in the morning when they left Gumaca for Sariaya, Quezon.  They had a stop over in Brgy. Talipan, Pagbilao and had hearty breakfast of dilis and hard boiled egg.

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Diocese of Gumaca Welcomes Farmers Pilgrimage

The line of the pilgrim-farmers is getting thicker and thicker.  Yesterday, 14 farmers from Ugnayan ng mga Magsasaka sa Quezon (UGMA) joined the ranks of the pilgrim-farmers. 

UGMA decided to join the pilgrimage as they too suffer from agrarian injustice.  They are representing 13 people’s organizations with 880 CARP beneficiaries of 2,796 hectares agricultural land in Catanauan, Quezon.  The said land has been covered by CARP for more than five years already but no Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) was distributed yet.  Because they asserted their rights, they now face 5 cases including 2 Qualified Theft.

 
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Small Farmers Castigate House Speaker Nograles

Speaker Prospero Nograles was again criticized by agrarian reform advocates for delaying the plenary deliberations for House Bill No. 4077 or the CARP Extension with Reforms bill.

RCM vowed to continue its campaign for CARP extension with reforms saying that the farmers have already started the “Lupang Hinirang, Lupang Hinarang” campaign which include marches, educational fora and signature gathering to apprise the public of the ongoing call for the extension with reforms of CARP.

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Naga Mayor: There is A Need to Pursue This Pilgrim

As early as 4:00 a.m. yesterday, the pilgrim-farmers started to get ready to proceed to Del Rosario, Naga.  And soon after breakfast at Precuaria, they started their journey.

They stopped at brgy. Banasi in Bula, and met the twenty four (24) Banasi farmers who will join the pilgrimage to Manila.  The pilgrim- farmers from Bukidnon, Agusan del Sur and Davao del knew from the start that the Banasi farmers will soon join them. In fact, this was the meat of their discussion during their tactic/reflection session last Sunday. 

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AR Now! Opposes DAR-NCIP Harmonization Guidelines on Land Coverage

The People’s Campaign for Agrarian Reform Network, Inc. (AR Now!), a coalition of non-government organizations and people’s organizations working for the effective implementation of agrarian reform in the Philippines, calls on our colleagues and friends in the peasant, indigenous peoples, church and environmental groups to join us in protesting against the issuance of a Joint DAR-NCIP Memorandum Circular calling for the “clarification and restating” of “the respective jurisdiction of the Department of Agrarian Reform and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples in the coverage of certain landholdings under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) and the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA).” 

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Farmers’ Pilgrimage for CARPER, Now in Bicol!

Just like in the “Walk for Sumilao Land, Walk for Justice! Campaign”, Sundays for the pilgrim-farmers are spent for reflection sessions, rest, and for their personal necessities.

Yesterday (22 February), they started their day with a breakfast having sunny-side-up egg and fried galunggong as their viands.  Notwithstanding body pains, they feasted with full of excitement and smiles on their faces while having conversation with co-pilgrims about the situation of their families in their respective origins.  To ease their homesickness, some would crack jokes to avoid tear-jerking stories.  Then a very light ambiance with laughter echoing would once again fill their spirits.  Indeed, after two weeks, farmers from Bukidnon, Davao del Sur and Agusan del Sur, are now closed and good friends.

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Mayor Jess Robredo: Nagueno, Manindigan at Makiisa sa Pagtaguyod ng Karapatan ng Mamamayan!

Sa Lunes, Pebrero 23, 2009, muling makikiisa ang mga taga-Lungsod ng Naga sa mga Sumilao far­mers. Noong nakaraang taon, ka­sama ang mga NGOs at farmers group ang pamunuan ng lungsod ay naging bahagi sa paglalakad mula sa boundary ng Naga hanggang sa Plaza Quince Martires.

Sa mga taga-Naga, kasama na ako, ang 7 kilo­metro pag­lakad ay parang napakalayo na. Sa mga taga-Sumilao, ito ay kati­ting na parte ng mahigit na 1700 kilo­metrong kanilang nilakbay para mara­ting ang Kamaynilaan mula sa Sumi­lao, Bukidnon. Masaya at malungkot na gunitain ang kanilang u­nang pagpunyagi. Hindi sila nawalan ng pag-asa sa gitna ng pagsubok.

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