Manila – On the 50th anniversary of the Presidential Decree 27 or the Marcos dictatorship sham land reform program, members of Anakpawis Party-list joined peasants under the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), and their supporters at the protest towards Mendiola bridge in Manila, to continue demanding free distribution of land in the country, as the genuine measure for the emancipation of Filipino peasants from the bondage of landlessness and poverty.
“Ang PD 27 ng diktador na si Marcos ay peke, na mas malala sa ilalim ngayon ng kanyang anak, na walang bagong batas para sa repormang agraryo. Napakaliit na nga ng coverage at iilan lang ang farmer-beneficiaries, mayorya pa nito ang hindi nakakumpleto ng amortisasyon kasing-aga ng 1985,” Ariel Casilao, Anakpawis Party-list National President and former lawmaker said in a press statement.
Data from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) showed that PD 27 was only able to cover 594,175 hectares of rice and corn lands from 1972 to 1986, with Land Acquisition and Distribution (LAD) expenditure of P81.3 billion. This included the P22.9 billion for land owner compensation, P55.7 billion for land processing and P2.6 for agrarian justice delivery. This roughly reflected P136,853 expenses per hectare and P5.8 billion per year. Moreover, this was measly 7% of the total 8.4 million hectares of agricultural lands in 1972, amid 25 million rural population or 66% of the country’s total. Worse, in 1985, 75% of the farmer-beneficiaries failed to complete amortization. In 1988, a minority less than 6% of peasant families received the certificate of land transfer, and among this, 2.4% with emancipation patents.
“Sinalba lang ng PD 27 ang mga haciendang tubuhan, niyugan at iba pa ng kanyang mga crony tulad nina Danding Cojuangco, Yulo, Araneta, Benedicto, Enrile, Lobregat at iba pa. Nagsimula rin lumawak ang mga plantasyong kontrolado ng mga dayuhan tulad ng Del Monte at Castle Cooke, sa iskemang lease agreements,” Casilao slammed.
He added that farmers in Cojuangco sugar haciendas in Negros Occidental, Hacienda Yulo in Laguna and Yulo King Ranch in Palawan, Araneta estate in Bulacan, Lupang Ramos in Cavite and other lands in the country exempted by the PD 27 continue to demand land distribution. Casilao elaborated that the social injustice of the PD 27 was continued by the CARP, when agrarian reform beneficiaries remained to be obliged to pay for amortization.
“Dahil ang PD 27 at CARP ay hindi nakabatay sa social justice, na dapat ay free distribution of land, bangkarote ito, at mayorya ay hindi nakakumpleto ng pagbabayad. Ngayon, sumusulpot na ang panukalang condonation dahil nanatiling may nakabara sa pagbebenta ng lupa, na siya namang inaabangan ng mga malalaking negosyante,” Casilao said.
Based on DAR data in 2017, only 11% of the total ARBs were able to complete amortization to the Landbank. While CARP coverage increased to 3.8 million hectares in 1991, and finally to 5.4 million hectares in 2016, this remained less than half of the total 12.6 million hectares of agricultural lands in the country, amid a rural population of 58 million living on 42% of the total lands. Casilao said that this very character of the national population clearly demonstrated the urgency of genuine agrarian reform and poverty alleviation of rural-based or peasant families.
“Ito ang matagal na naming ipinapaliwanag, na ang kawalang tunay na repormang agraryo o malawakang landlessness ay nagpapanatili lamang ng walang katapusang kahirapan ng malaking porsyento ng populasyon sa bansa. Bukod sa ito ay kawalang demokrasya, malaki ang danyos nito sa pambansang ekonomiya, dahil nanatiling maliit ang merkado, dahil wala ngang pambili ang mga mahihirap na pamilyang magsasaka. Kaya, susi ang libreng pamamahagi ng lupa, para sila ay magkaroon ng sasakahing lupa, lumikha ng pagkain at mga produkto, magkaroon ng sapat na kabuhayan, mag-suplay sa lokal na merkado at intermediate na mga industries, makabili ng mga produkto ng manufacturers, at sa buo lalaki ang produksyon, makakamit ang food security based sa self-sufficiency, at makikinabang rin ang mga negosyanteng Pilipino. Ito ang pilit na hinaharang ng minoryang mga haciendero, kumprador ng mga dayuhang monopolyo at mga tagapagsulong ng patakarang neoliberalismo,” he elaborated.
Ultimately, he urged the people to support the House Bill 1161 Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill or GARB, that proposed free distribution of land to poor peasants, as real measure for their emancipation from poverty, to sustained agricultural production and rural development.
“Hangga’t walang libreng pamamahagi ng lupa, at napakaraming magsasaka ang walang lupang sinasaka, mananatiling bagsak ang pambansang ekonomiya at magpapatuloy ang mga pakikibaka para sa kanilang karapatan, na dudulo sa mas malaking social unrest,” Casilao ended. ###
