In a statement, Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao noted that “the preliminary meeting of the Reciprocal Working Committee on the Socio-Economic Reforms Agenda (RWC-SER) of both panels had already agreed upon on in principle the free distribution of land for farmers under the working draft of Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER).”
“The suspension or termination of the peace talks will benefit the elite few hacienderos and compradors such as the Cojuangcos of Tarlac and Lorenzos who own Lapanday in Mindanao, and is detrimental to millions of farmers who are long been demanding genuine land reform in the country,” Casilao said.
Casilao is a vice-chairperson of the House Committee on Agrarian Reform and author of House Bill No. 555 or Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) that pushes for free distribution of land to farmers.
“Peace talks between the government and NDFP should address the root causes of the armed conflict and not narrow itself into signing a bilateral ceasefire agreement,” he said, as he also called for the immediate pull-out of the military from farmers’ communities across the country.
Casilao noted that “since the first ceasefire declaration by the President in July and through the talks in August, the AFP continued its military operations under the guise of law enforcement and humanitarian operations, committing various forms of human rights abuses against farmers.”
“Units under the AFP operated heavily in Mindanao, Abra, Masbate, Camarines Sur, Northern Samar, Quezon, Tarlac and other provinces. They usually occupied farmers communities and even the 18 schools established by Lumad communities in Sultan Kudarat. A pregnant woman was killed by para-military groups in Bukidnon in July while the president’s first declaration of ceasefire was still in effect,” he said.
“We remind President Duterte that he himself promised the resumption of the talks as early as January and again in May, together with the vow to release political prisoners, and in February, he promised rural development for the benefit of the farmers during a presidential forum organized by farmers in UP Diliman campus,” he also said.
“The farmers’ demand across the country is land and peace, a stop to human rights abuses and fulfillment of their rights to land through free distribution,” he added.
Casilao lamented that “the very reason that our society is at a sorry state is that basic and fundamental reforms were not realized and worse, are being opposed, developed countries have long ago completed agrarian reform and establishment of their national industries, while we are yet to fulfill the democratic state where farmers authentically own the lands they till.”
He stressed that “genuine agrarian reform and rural development are the solution to chronic poverty, lack of livelihood and unemployment.”
“Monopoly control of the few rich over vast tracks of land is a main factor why poor sectors swarm the urban centers in search for jobs and sources of income. Moreover, agrarian reform is commonly the foundation of any industry, majorly the manufacturing sector,” he also noted.
