BMFI

Nov. 23 update:
Sumilao farmers now in Quezon

The case of the Sumilao farmers has been running for more than a decade. Ever since, the fight to reclaim the 144-hectare landholding is an impossible battle for the small farmers. Not because they do not have any legal ground or legal personality to raise their issues but because they are against big people holding government posts and some influential tycoons of the country.

It is without any doubt that the claims of the Sumilao farmers are legitimate. It is clear that they have been deprived of their right to own and possess their ancestral land. That there was infringement of their basic human rights. But the farmers can no longer succumb the violations thrown to them. They are left with no other recourse but to go on public once again. They decided to walk from Bukidnon to Manila.

The Sumilao farmers are currently in the province of Quezon and soon, they will reach Manila. Their decision to have a 60-day walk from Bukidnon to Manila is but a tough action, especially without any assurance that justice will be served. They do not even know how long will it take. But one thing is for sure – their case is filed against Norberto Quisumbing Sr. Management and Development Corporation (NQSRMDC) and San Miguel Foods, Inc. (SMFI). The Sumilao farmers know exactly what their opponents are capable of doing.

Yesterday the farmers negotiated a total of 41 kilometers from Del Gallego to Tabugon passing three provinces – Camarines Sur, Quezon and Camarines Norte. They started walking at 5:10 a.m. and after walking for 12 hours, they arrived in Sta. Elena at around 5 p.m.

The Sumilao farmers again braved the heavy downpour. But this time, they walked steadily wearing their new raincoats courtesy of PAKISAMA.

When the Sumilao farmers reached Rizal in the town of Tagkawayan, Quezon province, Mayor Vicente “Third” Salumbides III, together with some other locals, warmly welcomed the marchers. They prepared a meal and had a community breakfast with the farmers. The farmers felt at home and easy because of the hospitality shown by the locals. Mayor Third attentively listened to the stories of the Sumilao farmers and shared his insights and support to their struggle reclaiming the land that is legally theirs.

A few minutes after their breakfast, the Sumilao farmers continued walking with some support groups from Del Gallego and Tagkawayan.

They reached Tabugon around 5 p.m. where they were warmly welcomed by the LGU of Sta. Elena. Upon reaching the venue, Ka Vic of PAKISAMA delivered a tear-jerking welcome speech. Mayor Armando Mendoza and Brgy. Capt. Arseo Hopio gave inspiring messages to the farmers' agrarian reform issues. The locals prepared hot soup for the marchers and the DSWD likewise prepared and gave packed donations for each of the farmers.

The claim to recover the 144-hectare land in Sumilao, Bukidnon is the ultimate goal of the campaign, no more no less.

On the other hand, they too appreciate supports from various groups. These supports help keep them going as they intend to keep walking.

Call of the Sumilao Farmers: Restore the Dignity of the Sumilao Farmers!

Notwithstanding their loss in the Supreme Court be mere technicality, the Sumilao farmers' commitment of regaining their ancestral land was never diminished. In fact, it even strengthened the MAPALAD Farmers towards their advocacy for genuine agrarian reform.

The Sumilao farmers established the MAPALAD Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MPC) in order to reinforce their organization. Further, MAPALAD campaigned for the CARP coverage of the adjacent Salvador Carlos Estate which is still part of their ancestral land. Subsequently, a CLOA was issued to the MAPALAD farmers making the owners of the land. Salvador Carlos initially opposed the distribution of his land to the farmers and a barrage of cases ensued before the courts. The MAPALAD farmers were criminally prosecuted for “grave coercion” when they attempted to possess their own land. Several farmer leaders were imprisoned in jail.

With divine providence, Salvador Carlos eventually understood the plight of the MAPALAD farmers and their basic desire to have a piece of land to call their own. In his last will, Salvador Carlos agreed to subject the land for coverage under CARP with the Sumilao farmers as beneficiaries. They finally regained a portion of their ancestral land. But it was not that easy for the MAPALAD farmers. Francisco Reyes, the administrator of Salvador Carlos, refused to heed the Volunteer Offer for Sale (VOS) submitted by Salvador Carlos to the farmers. When the MAPALAD farmers initiated their land occupation of the property, Reyes brought several armed men to harass the farmers. But the latter persisted in successfully occupying the land. The family of Salvador Carlos even joined their thanksgiving mass where they gave the farmers rosaries and a statue of the Virgin Mary. It was a momentous event for the MAPALD farmers and the Carlos family.

The MAPALAD farmers immediately cultivated the cherished land. The cooperative, with 78 farmer beneficiaries, employed a communal farm development wherein each member was allocated a farm lot ranging from .450 to .900 hectares depending on their participation in the MPC's projects. A portion thereof was allocated for a communal farm to support community development projects such as farm technology, gender sensitivity trainings, and paralegal formation activities. Despite the inadequacy of the 66-hectare land for at least 137 growing households, the MAPALAD farmers proved that they can develop the fullest potential of the land for agricultural productivity and at the same time for the advancement of the whole community.

Not only that, the MAPALAD farmers also encouraged the formation of another peasant group in San Vicente, Sumilao which led to the establishment of San Vicente Landless Farmers Association (SALFA) composed of 90 farmers, 90 percent of whom belongs to the Higaonon Tribe. Several members of SALFA are the children of the MAPALAD farmers and the rest are the other farmers and farm workers residing in the barangay. The MAPALAD farmers also would want the SALFA members to carry on their struggle for genuine agrarian reform and their dream of possessing a precious land that is actually theirs in the first place.

All the SALFA members are landless. Apparently, the 66-hectare Carlos Estate distributed to the MAPALAD farmers is not enough for more than 400 farmer-residents in Sumilao. There are many farmers who are still landless amid some cherished victories on the Carlos land. They merely depend on a Php50 to Php80 labor pay per day during harvest season. Outside the harvest season, they engage in broom making where they are paid Php1 per broom. This meager earning could hardly provide food for their family. Not one of them had completed their schooling. The SALFA members also dreamt of one thing – a land of their own.