BMFI

Sumilao farmers update
The Struggle Continues
5 November 2007

On 3 November 2007, the Sumilao Farmers were warmly welcomed and accommodated by the sisters at St. Mary's College of Catbalogan (SMCC). After 26 days of walking, this was the first time that they were able to rest their tired bodies in very comfortable beddings. They spent the night in air-conditioned rooms with complete sleeping accessories. Indeed, sleeping and resting on a soft and comfortable bed is but more than a consolation after their whole, long and tiring day. For their 26th ^{day of walk, they struggled to reach the day's point of destination in Catbalogan with a distance of 47 kilometers.} 

Speaking of long and tiring walk, the Sumilao farmers started their journey for the day at around 5 a.m. They left the municipality of Caldiga a few minutes before sunrise. The weather, it seems, did not cooperate – at first it was hot and humid, then the rain fell, and after less than an hour, it returned to hot and humid again, after which it rained again, and so forth and so on. The roads were also bad. The marchers had to walk in muddy and rough roads from Caldiga to Catbalogan.

Yesterday, four of the marchers fainted. Fortunately, aside from the medical team of the marchers themselves, the Kabalikat Rescue Team of Catbalogan responded immediately and gave the four marchers first aid treatment. Then they brought the marchers to Sacred Heart Hospital for further treatment where the doctor advised them to rest.

A remarkable moment for the day was the conversation between one by-stander and one of the marchers. Said by-stander asked Danny why they have to carry the persons who fainted when there is a back-up vehicle where said persons may take a rest. Danny responded that the campaign/struggle is “Walk for Sumilao and walk for justice”; that this is part of their sacrifice for the wrongdoings of the government, although they believe that they don't deserve to undergo such suffering just to awaken the government to perform its duty. They have to do something for the government to realize that they committed something that gravely infringed the farmers’ basic human right. 

The following day, 4 November 2007, the marchers started to head off to San Jorge from Catbalogan, a 36-kilometer distance. The day's journey for the farmers was not that difficult, considering that the roads were fine and the weather friendly.

In the morning, most of the farmers suffered LBM. It happened an hour after their breakfast. They thought that it was all because of the water they drank. With this situation, they have to stop for a moment, attend to the call of nature and take some medicines in order to prevent further hassles.

While negotiating the roads from Catbalogan to San Jorge, they felt that by-standers and motorists were very eager to know their plight and the reason behind their 1500-kilometer walk from Bukidnon to Manila. The people were asking to have a copy of their leaflets and other campaign paraphernalia. The people must have wondered whether the present administration would take a few minutes to read those leaflets the farmers were distributing.

They stayed and rested in San Jorge's Parish Church.

Revisiting the Sumilao Land: Sumilao Farmers as Qualified CARP Beneficiaries

Republic Act 6657, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL), is but a social legislation enacted primarily to respect, protect, promote, and fulfill the basic human rights of the farmers. Two of the salient features of the law are its definition of Agrarian Reform and the enumerated qualifications before a farmer could benefit under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

The law comprehensively defined and discussed agrarian reform in the Philippine context and not of another. Agrarian reform, accordingly to the law, is the redistribution of lands, regardless of crops or fruits produced, to farmers and regular farm workers who are landless, irrespective of tenurial arrangement, it includes the totality of factors and support services designed to lift the economic status of the beneficiaries and all other arrangements alternative the physical redistribution of lands, such as production or profit sharing, labor administration, and distribution of shares of stock, which will allow beneficiaries to receive a just share of the fruits of the land they are tilling.

The law further says that the land to be distributed should be agricultural land, and the same shall be distributed as much as possible to landless residents of the same barangay, or in the absence thereof, landless residents of the same municipality in the following order of priority: a) agricultural lessees and share tenants, b) regular farm workers, c) seasonal farm workers, d) other farm workers, e) actual tillers of occupants of public lands, e) collectives of cooperatives of the above beneficiaries, and g) others directly working on the land.

Based on the foregoing, the Sumilao farmers are without doubt qualified CARP beneficiaries. They are actual residents of Brgy. San Vicente, Sumilao, Bukidnon where the disputed 144-hectare landholding is situated; the land is prime agricultural land; and they were occupying and personally tilling the land.

Also, the land was owned and in possession of their ancestors. Legally and logically, the land should be given to the Sumilao farmers. But because of the capacity of few influential people, they were able to circumvent the law and became successful in grabbing the said land.

Even up to this date, the Sumilao farmers are being deprived of the land that is from time immemorial, legally theirs.

The journey from Caldiga to San Jorge, though long and tiring, made the Sumilao farmers inspired because of the support they received from different groups and individuals. To name a few: DAR Leyte and Samar, Kabalikat Rescue Team of Catbalogan, Catbalogan Parish Church, St. Mary's College of Catbalogan, Catholic Women's League, Father Cesar Aculan of Calbayog, San Jorge Parish Priest Father Jonathan Zeta, lay ministers of Catbalogan and San Jorge's Parish churches and the sisters in St. Mary's College of Catbalogan.

Again, most probably this update forgot to mention all those support groups and individuals who extended assistance to the Sumilao farmers' struggle. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with BALAOD Mindanaw thru Ritz Lee Santos III at he_ritzlee@yahoo.com / balaodmindanaw@gmail.com.

Upon writing this update, the Sumilao farmers are negotiating a 47-kilometer road from San Jorge to Calbayog. Tomorrow, they will head off to San Isidro. San Isidro would be their last municipality for the Visayas leg. They will ride a boat going to the municipality of Matnog, in Sorsogon, Bicol Region. They will spend the night in Matnog as they get ready to start the Luzon leg.