Iloilo farmers mark Mendiola massacre anniv with protest
Hundreds of farmers yesterday marched in the streets of this city to mark the 21stanniversary of the infamous Mendiola Massacre.
The protesters led by the Paghugpong sang mga Mangunguma sa Panay kag Guimaras (Pamanggas) marched in the main streets of the city before holding a protest rally at the grounds of the Iloilo provincial capitol.
Speakers took turns denouncing the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL), which they said has failed to address the farmers' clamor for land to till and government support to boost their production.
"We are honoring our fellow farmers who shed their blood for our right to own the land that we till," said Pamanggas chairperson Susanito Talibo in an interview.
Thirteen farmers died and more than 80 others were wounded when government troops opened fired on protesters demanding for genuine land reform on Mendiola Bridge on January 22, 1987.
Talibo said the issues raised by the farmers who were shot dead 21 years ago remain.
"Up to now, land problem is still widespread. Our studies show that 60 percent (almost 9 million hectares) of all agricultural lands are still in the hands of only 13 percent of the big landowners," said Talibo.
He cited the case of farmers in Sumilao in Bukidnon who are fighting for ownership of a disputed 144-hectare that was converted into an agro-industrial estate now owned by San Miguel Foods Inc.
The farmers also decried the continued occupation by the Army's 3rdInfantry Division of a 33,310-hectare area in Capiz province. The area, which has been declared a military reservation, is part of the ancestral land of the Tumandok community, Panay Island's biggest indigenous people's group.
Talibo said that in Iloilo province, 35 percent of CARL beneficiaries have been forced to sell their lots because of the absence of support services coming from the government and because of the increasing prices of oil products and of farm inputs like fertilizers and pesticides.
"Until now, genuine land reform remains an illusion to millions of farmers all over the country," said Talibo.