I never had the privilege of meeting Ka Rene, but this tribute, written by the inexhaustibly gifted Leah Navarro and circulated last Saturday, brought him to life before my eyes. Of the thousands of news releases I’ve read over the years, this is the most eloquent, and the most moving. 

Renato Penas, Sumilao famer and a leading member of PAKISAMA, is dead.  He, a relative and a friend were ambushed last night on the way to the piece of land he tilled all his life in Sumilao, Bukidnon.  His companions are wounded, but Ka Rene will never see another harvest again.  He was only 51.

The last time I saw Ka Rene was on May 24th.  It was Juana Change’s birthday, we participated in her celebratory walk for change along the Manila Bay boardwalk.  We hung back and talked instead, Ka Rene had done enough walking in his short life. He walked all the way from Sumilao in all kinds of weather, in tsinelas, to Manila along with hundreds of other farmers that loved the land that gave them a reason for living. He literally walked the talk.  Despite his struggle, Ka Rene was a happy man with an easy smile, and that day we laughed a lot.  The only time his smile would fade was when he spoke of agrarian reform.

Listening to him was a humbling experience, I felt small and my dreams seemed insignificant.  We talked about CARPer, agrarian reform in general, his sadness about Filipino farmers that were being hired to till land that wasn’t theirs in Korea and other places (he said it was shameful), the hope that one day land owners and farmers could settle their differences.  He had high hopes for CARPer, and I was told that he was elated when the bill was passed the other night. Our friend, Soc Banzuela, said his last text about CARPer was “panalo na tayo”.  Ka Rene must have been beaming when he sent that sms.

As he traveled to his farm, Ka Rene must have been filled with the enthusiasm of a new day.  He was probably bursting at the seams to give his wife Evangeline, and his kids Noland, Wopsyjenn, Jerald, and Realynme, the great news.  His killers made sure that wasn’t going to happen. His family deserves justice and I pray they get it.

I am very angry, can’t believe he’s gone.  Filipinos like Ka Rene are inspiring, their passion contagious.  Go with God, Ka Rene.

Just saw Ditsi Carolino’s latest documentary Lupang Hinarang (loosely translated as Obstructed Land or Barred Soil, a play on the National Anthem’s title Lupang Hinirang or Chosen Land). This is just an initial reaction, a few takes, as the film is yet to be released formally.

Before the screening, Ditsi made clear that it was a work in progress, but already the film looks like it will become another Filipino documentary classic, as the rest of her previous works (Riles, Bunso) are generally considered. I must reserve the right, though, to change my mind if the final veers from what was shown in the jampacked Ateneo screening last night.

The structure is pretty much there and the point already too clear. The first part, on the Sumilao farmers, feels more finished than the second part, on the Negros farmers, which clearly needed more work thematically in terms of emotional arch, and technically in color grading and sound.

However, I must say that screening a work in progress, an oft-used term among filmmakers and media people to stand for “unfinished,” has the danger of constricting the final output to stick to what has already been seen by many. But it seems Ditsi has already made up her mind on what the story is and how the docu is to be structured, meaning the final form won’t be too far from what has already been shown to many.

That said, it was very hard not to be emotionally affected with what she captured on cam.

In 2007, 55 farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon in Mindanao walk 1700 kilometers to bring their petition to Malacañan in Manila to revoke a DAR order converting 144 hectares of prime agricultural land, previously awarded to them, into an agro-industrial estate, thereby excluding the land from agrarian reform law. It takes the farmers 60 days to reach the Palace gates. Ditsi accompanies them in the entire trek, essentially documenting the farmers’ long, sun-stroked (or rain-drenched), mutilating march on foot. Five minutes into the film and I was already wiping away a tear. So did my friend beside me.

In the second part, 22 farmers from Negros Occidental stage a hunger strike in front of the headquarters of the Department of Agrarian Reform, denouncing the slow implementation of their installment in the lands distributed to them 10 years before. It would take 29 days before the Palace would give in.

Lupang Hinarang presents hope – lots of it – from the bravery of these folk to struggle for what was rightfully theirs. It is a pointed documentary, an imbalanced tale, a singular message whose agenda is on the side of the disenfranchised. This is the film’s strength.

There are 1.3 million hectares of land still to be distributed to those who can till them, but, as of today, only 4 session days are left for Congress to pass the law that would make that distribution happen.

That part of the story is crystal clear.

I am crying right now for something I am not even that familiar with. It’s not as though I am an integral part of this issue I’m crying for. Maybe, this is triggered by my strong sense of equality among every human being.

It is so sad to have realized how much suffering our kababayang magsasaka have undergone just because of their desire to own the land they’ve worked for the sustenance of their families. It is even more painful to realize that this is something that was not a force of nature or a thing that we have no control of. Because what causes them pain is also our other kababayans who, by some reason, does not see their struggles and pains.

Never mind the law which in fact is on the side of the Sumilao farmers. The mere fact that their suffering is seen by a lot of people all around the world and especially by the Filipinos, in their televisions, in their computer screens or even see them personally camping in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform – isn’t that a sign that we should be doing something to destroy this unjust system and give to the farmers what is rightfully theirs? Aren’t their hunger and deaths enough to reach to your cold hearts?

I am but a mere nobody in this society. I do not have a lot. But I know that I am not blind. Even if I can’t really do anything about this injustice, I shout out to all of you – you who have too much, yes, too much to own. Please have a heart. What do you think of whenever you go to church? You pretend that you’re brave, you pretend that you know all, but then you can’t even face these peasants in a fair battle. I shout out to you, the Cojuangcos and whoever are concerned. You show up on tv pretending to be nicest people in the country, boasting of your heritage, your national heroes, your politicians, your artists. Think about what you have done for your country again. You speak of injustice for one when you are stepping on the rights of hundreds if not thousands. For once, please remember, the world is not yours alone. You are not gods. And if you think you are… well, God knows.

Date:  March 11, 2009
Time:  10:00 am
Venue: Cardinal Sin Center, Loyola School of Theology,  Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City

Synopsis:

Lupang Hinarang is a film in two parts about a fierce and deadly battle raging between farmers and landowners in the Philippines.

The documentary opens with the tribal Sumilao farmers, Ka Rene, Nang Linda and Bajekjek, who, inspired by Gandhi’s protest march, journey on foot for two months from their mountain village in Bukidnon to the presidential palace in Manila.

It is a gruelling 1,700 kilometer journey through scorching heat, rains, fatigue, and great uncertainty. After weeks of walking, the farmers reach Manila, rally at the corporate offices of San Miguel, confront the agrarian reform secretary and grapple with anti-riot police before finally meeting the President.

The second part tells the story of the sugarcane workers from Negros. When armed guards of the landowner kill one of the farmers in 2007, Chay Lindy, Chay Gamay, and Chay Biray go on a harrowing 29-day hunger strike with other farmers in front of the agrarian reform office in Manila. The hunger strike results in victory for the farmers until the film ends in a shocking climax. Lupang Hinarang is a timely documentary set against ongoing debates in Congress to extend and reform CARP (CARPER) or to kill it.

This film screening is for free. However, guests are highly encouraged to donate a minimum amount of P100, part of which will be forwarded to the Sumilao farmers. A hat will also be passed around after the screening and discussion to collect donations.

You may invite your friends and colleagues to this event.

Those who cannot attend the event are requested to forward this invitation to other people.

Thank you very much.

The farmers from Baha and Talibayog in Calagatan, Batangas began their 5-day walk from Lipa City in Batangas to Manila yesterday after receiving the blessings of Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of the Archdiocese of Lipa. In his blessings at a mass celebrated with the assembly of seminarians all over the Philippines held at the Cathedral de San Sebastian, Archbishop Arguelles expressed his support for the march of the farmers. “On this first week of the new church year, God manifests himself among the farmers of Baha and Talibayog. The Archdiocese of Lipa supports the struggle of the little ones whose only strength is in God’s power” Arguelles said.

Archbishop Arguelles also announced that the Calatagan farmers will be met by his Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales upon their arrival at the Ateneo de Manila University on December 5. The Calatagan farmers were jubilant at this news. Dante Rasdas, member of the Calatagan farmers’ core group recalled that December 5 will be the anniversary of the arrival of the Sumilao farmers in Ateneo de Manila University where they were welcomed by Cardinal Rosales. “We walked with the Sumilao farmers from San Pedro, Laguna to Manila last year as our gesture of solidarity. We have witnessed how Cardinal Rosales embraced the Sumilao farmers then and how the support of the Cardinal led to the victory of the Sumilao farmers” Rasdas said. Virginita Malaluan, spokesperson of the Calatagan farmers said that anticipating the meeting with Cardinal Rosales gives them inspiration, strength and hope. “We are looking forward to meet the Cardinal and tell him of the story of our own struggles. We are confident that Cardinal Rosales will lend us his support as he did with the Sumilao farmers last year.

Malaluan read the Calatagan Farmers manifesto at the send-off Mass. She announced that ten of the seventy-six farmers joining the march will go on hunger strike as soon as they reach the DAR central office in Quezon City on December 6. “In our conviction to fight for and defend our land and our rights, ten farmers among us, representing the three generations of struggling farmers in Baha and Talibayog, will go on hunger strike as soon as we arrive at the Department of Agrarian Reform. In foregoing food, we will defend our right to produce food. In their voluntary act of suffering from hunger, we will assert our conviction to fight hunger” the manifesto said.

The Calatagan farmers declared that they are walking to Malacañang to ask President Arroyo to once and for all affirm the agricultural classification of the 507 hectares disputed land in Calatagan, Batangas which is also being claimed by Asturias Industries headed by Ramon Ang. DENR Secretary Lito Atienza had consistently declared that the disputed land has become “mineralized” and therefore exempted from the coverage of agrarian reform. The land was distributed to the farmers in 1989 and 1990 by the Department of Agrarian Reform under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. The farmers has since fully paid their land amortizations and had become full owners of the land. However, the former landowners, the heirs of Ceferino Ascue managed to sell the land to Asturias Industries in 1995. In 1997, the DENR issued a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) and an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) covering more than 2,000 hectares which included the contested 507 hectares distributed through agrarian reform.

In a public forum in Ateneo last September, the Asturias representative Atty. Michaela Rosales revealed that aside mining, Asturias is planning to develop industrial and eco-tourism zones in the disputed area. She even announced that a Formula 1 race track will be built in the area” said Jane Capacio of the Task Force Baha-Talibayog (TFBT). Capacio said that it is very clear that Asturias is using its MPSA to take away the lands from the farmer as a prelude to converting the land to other uses later. The Calatagan farmers left the St. Thomas Academy in Sto. Tomas, Batangas early this morning and are expected to cross the Batangas-Laguna boundary today on their way to San Pedro, Laguna where they will spend the night.

Ateneo de Manila University confers Ozanam Award to the Sumilao farmers and their lawyer

Three and a half months after making a breakthrough in their 13-years quest to reclaim their land and signing a settlement agreement with San Miguel Corporation, the Sumilao farmers and their lawyer Atty. Kaka Bag-ao of Balaod-Mindanaw will be awarded the Ateneo de Manila’s Ozanam Award. The farmers will receive the award in a Special Academic Convocation to be held at the Henry Lee Irwin Theatre at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) today, July 15. The Ozanam Award will conferred to the Sumilao farmers “in recognition of their peaceful ways of reclaiming their ancestral lands in Sumilao, Bukidnon. The hunger strike and cross-country walk inspired fellow farmers. It also raised awareness and support from students, churches and the nation on the role of agricultural development in national development.”

The Sumilao farmers signed a settlement agreement with San Miguel Corporation last March 29, 2008 at the San Carlos Seminary in Makati City which gave them 50-hectares within the 144-hectare contested property. Under the agreement the farmers will also receive 94-hectares outside the 144-hectare property.

“Our peaceful return to our land 3-months ago has given us a brighter view of the future. We are now in the process of turning the land which has been idle for more than a decade into a bountiful field of our dreams” said Peter Tuminhay, a Sumilao farmer leader. He said that cultivating the land and making it productive has not been easy. “The land has been idle for a long time and that is evident in the thick growth that has covered the land. Even just clearing the land for cultivation is labor intensive. At present we are faced by the challenge of making the land productive with our collective financial resources which are meager. While we have received commitments from the DAR in a form of financial assistance right after we gained entry into the 50-hectare property, the production loan that was promised to us has not yet materialized after more than 3 months due to the bureaucratic processes that need to be undertaken” Tuminhay added.

“Our struggle is far from over. We are yet to receive the 94-hectares committed by San Miguel Corporation under the settlement agreement. SMC has submitted to us a list of landholdings that total 59 hectares but only 28 hectares are acceptable to us. The rest of the land being offered by SMC do not comply with the conditions that was set under the agreement. Some of the lands are located very far from our homes, others are still covered by lease agreements and remain planted to pineapple. Others are not irrigated and not nearly as fertile as the 144-hectare land” said Rene Peñas, Sumilao farmer leader and paralegal. Peñas said that the failure of Congress to pass the extension and reform of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law give them reason to be concerned. “According to the settlement agreement, the remaining 94 hectares will be distributed to us under CARP but with the impasse in agrarian reform implementation after the failure of Congress to extend it is worrisome. We have heard of cases where the DAR has refused to install farmer beneficiaries in lands already awarded to them” Peñas added.

Atty. Kaka Bag-ao said that the Sumilao farmers are very careful in making decisions over the land that they have reclaimed. “The decision-making processes among the farmers has been very tedious and patience-stretching. They are very careful that the decisions they arrive at are the consensus of all their members” Bag-ao said. She said that the long and difficult struggle that the farmers had experienced molded their consciousness to be sensitive to each other and to have a deep sense of solidarity with other farmers in struggle.

Bajekjek Merida, one of the young leaders of the Sumilao farmers said that they are humbled to be given the Ozanam Award which they learned was given to persons of distinction. “The tremendous and overwhelming support that we have received during our long struggle made our success not solely ours but a success of a multitude of people and groups who have buoyed us up with their support. We shall be receiving this award not only for ourselves but for the thousands who have supported us and who remain to be supportive of the causes of other farmers who, like us, continue to struggle for a piece of land they can build their dreams on. We share this award with the countless of parishioners, priests and nuns and bishops who fed, nurtured, sheltered and prayed for us. We share this award to all the schools, their faculty and students who welcomed us and joined us in our walk” Merida said.

Atty. Kaka Bag-ao, who shares the award with the Sumilao farmers said that support of the Ateneo community to the Sumilao farmers in the past decade has been overwhelming. Bag-ao, an alumnus of the Ateneo Law School said that her Ateneo education is one of the strongest influences in her career as a lawyer. “I am overwhelmed by the recognition of my Alma Mater, who has taught me to love the path that has taken me to the side of the Sumilao farmers and other farmers like them. I am also overwhelmed to share this award with the Sumilao farmers who had been a part of most of my professional life as a lawyer. What I have not learned in Ateneo, I learned in Sumilao and that makes my education more complete” Bag-ao said. She also said that Ateneo has been part of the most crucial junctures in the Sumilao campaign. “It was here in the Ateneo where his Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales embraced the Sumilao farmers and announced his support for our cause, that evening marked the beginning of our triumphant return to the land in Sumilao” Bag-ao added.

Ateneo will also be conferring academic awards four others namely, Very Rev. Antonio M. Pernia, SVD, Bukas Palad Award in Memory of Fr. Manuel Peypoch, S.J.; Eugenia Duran-Apostol, Parangal Lingkod Sambayanan; Gilda Cordero-Fernando, Gawad Tanglaw ng Lahi; and Dr. Fernando P. Hofileña, Lux-in-Domino Award. ###

Today, at the Henry Lee Irwin theatre of the Ateneo de Manila University, a Special Academic Convocation will be held by the Ateneo community to confer 5 Traditional University Awards to people of distinction. I shall be a guest to this afternoon’s affair. I will not only be an ordinary guest… I will be a PROUD guest for among today’s honorees of the Ateneo are special people who I hold dear. This year’s Ozanam Award will be conferred to the Sumilao farmers and their lawyer, Atty. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao. I have written so much about the Sumilao farmers and what they have accomplished both in this blog and in the press releases I have written for their campaign in the last 9 months or so. So today I will not write about the Sumilao farmers.

All throughout the long 13 years that the Sumilao farmers struggled for their land, one person have always been their constant companion. She rarely shared the limelight with the farmers, but she shared their miseries, their worries, their fears and their sacrifices. For most of the last 13 years, she was invisible to the eyes of the public, a silent co-traveler of the Sumilao farmers.

I met Atty. Kaka Bag-ao, one rainy day in 1995 at the foot of Mt. Banahaw in Barangay Consolacion, Sariaya, Quezon. I was organizing a group of agrarian reform farmers there as part of my training in community organizing. She was our resource person in one of our paralegal clinics with the farmers. Little did I know that one that rainy day in August 1995 i will come to know a friend who will touch my life immensely. We met a couple of times more for paralegal sessions. I ended my stint in Quezon a couple of months later and returned to my work in Mindanao. A year later, I learned that she has moved to Cagayan de Oro City to work for an NGO working with agrarian reform farmers. We rarely met then until I got drawn into the hunger strike of the Sumilao farmers in October 1997. By then she was already in the center of the Sumilao campaign as their lawyer, tactician, sister, daughter and friend to the farmers.

I rarely meet someone who can both challenge and question my ideas and opinions and build on them as she does. I challenge and build on hers too. Our arguments during tactics sessions are animated (and at times heated). She inspires me like very few people do. I have worked with Kaka in several other cases in Bukidnon but the Sumilao has always been a special one. Working with Kaka, Jun g., Nenen and several others on the Sumilao case and other cases in Bukidnon made me choose to work as an agrarian reform advocate.

In the Sumilao case alone, I have witnessed Kaka’s agonies and heartaches – losing 2 beloved friends Attys. Bob Gana and Caloy Ollado to the Cebu Pacific Flt 387 crash while they were on their way to Sumilao; losing a the Sumilao case in the Supreme Court on a mere technicality and thus experiencing the worst of our pro-rich judicial system.

Kaka was also instrumental in making me decide to join Akbayan, a decision that made significant changes in my life. Somme of these changes made us drift away from each other for a number of years.

The 1,700 kilometer walk of the Sumilao farmers late last year reunited me to the rest of the Sumilao campaign team. Parang di kami nagkahiwalay ng mahahabang taon. I got reunited with Kaka and Jun G. and got to know people who have since become my friends – Jane, Marlon, PI, Jemro, Bro. Javi, Bro. IJ, Tinx, JanJan, Aison, Soc and the people from Ateneo-OSCI.

If only San Miguel Corporation knew how our campaign plans were developed and evolved, they would not have taken this collection of jologs seriously. Our huntahans and Starbucks sessions spewed tactics that shook San Miguel and brought it to the negotiation table. The support of heavyweights like Cardinal Rosales, Bishop Pabillo, Christian Monsod, Fr. Danny Huang made the settlement with the Sumilao farmers compelling for the Asian brewery giant.

By hindsight, our ragtag team of jologs was a dream team of sorts. Our humor and laughter melt tiredness and weariness away. Our warm friendship made our daily pamorningan sessions not only tolerable, but most of all, something to enjoy and look forward to. We were never a bunch of grim and determined cadres, we were just a collection of friends who can find something humorous in the most serious of things. Kaka Bag-ao, co-honoree of the Sumilao farmers in this year’s Ozanam Award was the spirit that held us together (i.e. she was the jologest of us all).

Kaka kong mahal, sana’y wag kang mapapagal, Sana’y wag kang magsawa. Sana’y di ka mauubusan ng tawa. Always remember that the stars are brightest in nights that are darkest, that the pangs of labor give birth to new life. You taught me those things dear friend, and i am just reminding you of the lessons you so lovingly (and funnily) taught me.

The Sumilao victory, the Ozanam award are just a few feathers on your bonnet, and by God you have enough feathers to make a good feather duster.

Congratulations my dear.

After winning back 144-hectares of land in a settlement agreement with San Miguel Corporation last March 28, the Sumilao farmers continue their advocacy for agrarian reform. This time they are supporting the cause of the farmers in Baha and Talibayog in Calatagan, Batangas who are scheduled to begin their 3000-kilometer walk to Manila Monday, April 21 2008.

Last December, around 40 farmers from Baha-Talibayog in Calatagan joined the Sumilao farmers in the final legs of their 1,700 kilometer walk from Bukidnon to Manila. The Calatagan farmers joined the Sumilao farmers walk from San Pedro, Laguna all the way to the Department of Agrarian Reform Central office in Quezon City.

“We were touched by the show of solidarity of the Calatagan farmers during our walk last year. They have sacrificed with us and they inspired us during the time when we were almost overcame by fatigue. During their 5-day walk with us, we exchange experiences and we have come to know their problems. While their case is different from ours, there are similarities” said Napoleon Merida Jr., one of the spokespersons of the Sumilao farmers. Merida said that, like the Sumilao farmers, the Calatagan farmers are already beneficiaries of agrarian reform but are facing a grave threat of losing their land to land conversion.

“We lend our wholehearted support to our fellow farmers from Calatagan. We are praying for the success of their walk and we will ask those who supported our walk to support them too. They are victims of injustice just like us” Merida added.

Atty. Arlene Bag-ao, legal counsel of the Sumilao farmers will join the first leg of the Calatagan farmers’ walk from barangays Baha and Talibayog in Calatagan to the municipality of Balayan. “We support the Calatagan farmers because we believe that they are rightful beneficiaries of the land that they till. They are victims of the twisting of the law to favor the interests of the rich” Atty Bag-ao said.

Sixty agrarian reform beneficiaries from Calatagan, Batangas facing eviction due to land conversion announced today that they will march from Batangas to Metro Manila to protest a government decision to reclassify an agricultural area into a mining area to allow a private company to excavate limestone, a mineral used in the production of cement.

Ka Uper Aleroza, national chairperson of the Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PKSK) and resident of Calatagan, Batangas, said that the march of the Calatagan farmers is their expression of the opposition to attempt to dispossess the rightful beneficiaries of agrarian reform of the lands they are tilling in favor of turning the land into a mining area. “We oppose the reversal of agrarian reform in Baha and Talibayog. It is unjust to dispossess the farmers of Baha and Talibayog of the land that was rightfully transferred to them 10 years ago to give way to mining. In the face of a food crisis, the government should be serious about its implementation of the land conversion ban. Our march from Calatagan to Manila is our assertion of the rights of the farmers as agrarian reform beneficiaries and as our assertion of our role as producers of food. Lupang pansakahan, hindi minahan” Aleroza said.

The Calatagan farmers would begin their marching noise barrage on April 21, 2008 in Calatagan, Batangas. They are expected to arrive in Manila on April 27 and would continue their march to hold several protest actions in the Senate, DENR, and DAR. The Calatagan farmers would also attend the House of Representatives Committee on Agrarian Reform hearing on HB 1257, or the CARP Extension and Reform Bill, a measure that the farmers support to extend, strengthen and accelerate agrarian reform in the country.

Exactly a week ago today, the Sumilao farmers made a final push from their camp in Caritas in Pandacan to San Carlos Seminary in Guadalupe, Makati. They brought with them not banners that proclaimed the calls the bore for the last 12 years but calls for other landless farmers who remain struggling for their land. In their final walk in Manila to sign the Memorandum of Agreement with San Miguel Corporation, the Sumilao farmers echoed the cries of their fellow farmers calling for justice.

The walk to San Carlos Seminary was a walk of triumph, the triumph of sacrifice and perseverance, the triumph of solidarity, the triumph of Daviid over the giant Goliath. This walk was the culmination of tens if not hundreds of thousands of steps the Sumilao farmers took to make their plight too scandalous to be ignored. In the end they were triumphant.

San Miguel Corporation said it was their commitment to “corporate social responsibility” that made March 29 possible. Malakanyang claimed that it the Arroyo administration’s commitment to social justice that made March 29 possible. We all know that both SMC anD GMA were pushed to a corner and the MOA signing last March 29 was but a fait accompli for both. The sacrifices of the Sumilao farmers and the rightness and justness of their cause that awakened the hearts of thousands including church people and ordinary citizens left SMC and GMA with no choice but to go for a settlement.

Last Sunday, the Sumilao farmers went home. They made a final walk into the land that they can now call their own. They broke the barb wires that for decades kept them away from their land. The rubicon was crossed. Shouts and tears of joy erupted. Families were reunited. The Sumilao farmers were finally HOME.

I am blessed to have shared their journey.

No Filipino farmer deserves to be slave in his own country. No Filipino farmer should be landless. No Filipino farmer should be robbed of the land he/she rightfully and justly deserves to own, cultivate and make a decent living from. The fertile and rich lands of our country is the heritage of the Filipino farmers. No farmer should be deprived of land in our own country. This is what the Sumilao farmers’ Exodus is all about, the quest for justice and claiming what is rightfully theirs.
The story of injustices endured by the farmers and their struggle for justice and their land have spanned more than 12 years.

The Exodus of the Sumilao farmers is about to come to an end. I have not written anything thepast few days because I have wanted to write about this, I have patiently waited to write about this. Naghahanap lang ako ng timing anf besides di ko pwede ma-out dahil sa media embargo.

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Editorial
Easter settlement
MANILA, Philippines – The news that began filtering out late last week—the first text messages circulated on Holy Thursday—immediately gave rise to hopes of the Easter Sunday variety. The Sumilao farmers, it was reported, were close to a settlement with San Miguel Foods, the company that had bought the 144-hectare property in Bukidnon in the center of the long-running and high-profile land dispute. Perhaps the farmers could reclaim their old life, and finally begin a new one, right during the Easter season?We hope so. The details of the settlement are still sketchy. Indeed, the settlement itself has not yet hardened into fact. Many things can still go wrong in today’s negotiations. But we are heartened by the seeming success of the process—of the consultation and creative problem-solving that marked it and the spirit of compromise that animated it.

The first reports indicate that the Sumilao farmers will reclaim ownership of 50 hectares of the original property plus 94 hectares from an adjacent property, in an arrangement that San Miguel Foods will help make possible. If these early signs prove accurate, then the Sumilao farmers will regain a 144-hectare property in the same area (just not the same 144 hectares), while San Miguel Foods gets to protect its billion-peso investment. And both parties do so without loosening their commitment to absolute albeit different principles. A true Easter settlement, then, if the parties come to terms.

The president of San Miguel Corp., the parent company of San Miguel Foods, has given credit to the Archbishop of Manila, Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, for his role in the breakthrough-in-the-making; by all accounts, Rosales, the former bishop of Malaybalay, Bukidnon, has been a moving force in both the farmers’ extraordinary protest action (involving, most dramatically, a 1,700-kilometer march “from Mindanao to Malacañang”) and in the negotiations. (To be sure, much of the work of protest was borne by the farmers themselves, and by civil society organizations assisting them.)

In the public mind, especially in the turbulent months since the Hello, Garci tapes first surfaced, Rosales pales in comparison with his fire-and-brimstone predecessor, the late Jaime Cardinal Sin. But in the Sumilao case it must be acknowledged that the soft-spoken Rosales has used Sin’s weapons of choice—private diplomacy and public pressure, applied at the same time—to good effect.

The farmers too must be recognized for adopting an attitude open to compromise. Last December, after President Macapagal-Arroyo issued an order reclassifying the disputed property as agricultural, we praised the breakthrough but worried about the “politically untenable position” the farmers seemed about to adopt: “Despite the President’s order, they refuse to go back to Bukidnon until they are ‘finally installed’ in their land. But the order has to work its way through the legal and bureaucratic processes …”

The looming settlement with San Miguel Foods effectively makes those processes irrelevant—but there would be no settlement if the farmers were not ready to accept a “50 + 94” proposal, or variations thereof.

But we must also point out that, unlike the Quisumbing company that gamed the legal system and eventually hoodwinked the Supreme Court with an elaborate fantasy of development for the disputed property (a fantasy it did nothing to translate to gritty reality once it had won the case in the Supreme Court), San Miguel Foods has by and large conducted itself honorably. Last January, in siding with the farmers’ rejection of a complete swap (another property altogether, for the 144 hectares in Sumilao), we noted “San Miguel’s impressive track record and traditional commitment to the communities in which it operates.”

Indeed, it bears pointing out that in social justice issues like the Sumilao saga of frustrated land reform, the advantage always lies with the moneyed, in this case San Miguel Foods. The meek may ultimately inherit the earth, but in the meantime the rich get richer. An immensely rich company that could have opted to play the legal and bureaucratic game for as long as necessary but instead chose not to—thus allowing the Sumilao farmers to continue living the life they chose for themselves—surely deserves a nation’s gratitude too.

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The walk of the Sumilao farmers will finally bring them back to the land they rightly and justly own. Their Exodus is about to end. Freed from the clutches of landlessness, they will be going home as TILLERS OF THE LAND THEY OWN. They are coming home to reap the fruits of their sacrifices in the last 12 years. They are coming home to plant the seeds of a better future for their children.

This is indeed a happy Easter. Hallelujah!

The Sumilao farmers are waiting for the final resolution of their case. Their journey to this point in their struggle was not a rosy and glorious one, it was a journey full of frustrations, fears, hardships and pain. The 144-hectare land that they are claiming would have long been lost had it not for their perseverance and their sacrifices. They did not venture on that journey alone. The were others who shared in their journey. As the Sumilao farmers stand staring at the horizon waiting for the sun of victory to rise, they remember two of their companions in the struggle – Attys. Bob Gana and Caloy Ollado.

Ten years ago, on February 2, 1998, Cebu Pacific Flt. 5J-387 flew from Manila to Cagayan de Oro with 99 passengers and 5 crew members on board. The plane did not reach its destination.

Among the 99 passengers on were 2 lawyers from the Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN). They were on their way to Sumilao, Bukidnon to discuss with the farmers their case which was then lodged at the Supreme Court. Atty. Bob and Caloy did not make it to the meeting.

Bob was simple man with a big heart. He was a consistent and aggressive defender of the rights of the poor especially the landless farmers. Caloy was known for his critical role in the repeal of Presidential Decree 772 (Anti-Squatting Law) which criminalized millions of urban poor who settled in lands they did not own. Both lawyers turned their backs on more financially rewarding practice to offer their expertise in the struggle of the poor and the defenseless.

Last February 2, 2008, on the 10th anniversary of their deaths, the Sumilao farmers walked more than 10 kilometers to the Cagayan de Oro Gardens where the unidentified remains of the victims of Cebu Pacific Flt. 5J-387 were interred. This walk was dedicated in memory of these two modern heroes. Written in the banner at the head of the march was - “Atty Bobby & Caloy nagpabilin kamong buhi sa aming kasing-kasing ug sa among pakigbisog… – Sumilao Farmers (Atty. Bobby & Caloy you live in our hearts and in our struggle).”

While the dawn of victory in the struggle of the Sumilao farmers is about to break, Bob and Caloy lives in their victory. other lawyers have taken on the struggle but the inspiration of the lives of Bob and Caloy remain burning in our hearts.

[This blog has a new domain: http://philippineaffairs.com/]

“When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.” — Reverend Martin Niemoeller

When I was in elementary, I hated the subject of history. I hated memorizing dates, names, and events that did not seem to have any significance in everyday life. History seemed very unreal to me. I was more interested in cartoons. For me, Superman, Incredible Hulk, and Spiderman were more appealing heroes than Aguinaldo, Bonifacio and Rizal. The Katipunan seemed more fictitious than the Justice League or the Fantastic Four. You cannot blame me. Like any other child, I was in the stage wherein fiction was more appealing than facts. Heroism was an abstract concept for me. I did not consider anyone without any superpowers as hero – well, except for Batman.

Although I haven’t totally outgrown my childhood fantasies, I am now more aware what heroism is all about. I have realized that heroism is not really about saving the world from inter-galactic or trans-dimensional villains. I have realized that real-life heroes do not necessarily wear colorful and tight costumes. I have realized that heroes are not necessarily fearless. I have realized that heroes are also capable of crying for fear of their lives like Jun Lozada. I have realized that heroes can also bleed and die from bullet wounds like the farmers who were massacred in Mendiola. I have realized that heroes can come from all walks of life like the ones who used their bodies as barricades against advancing tanks during the first EDSA revolution. I have realized that heroes can be nameless and faceless like those activists who were murdered and buried in unmarked graves.

Heroism is not necessarily about dying for an ideal. Heroism can be as simple as voicing your opinion. Heroism can be as simple as being outraged by injustice, lies and corruption! Heroism can be as simple as walking a few meters with the Sumilao farmers. Heroism can be as simple as desiring to have a better society and a good government. Heroism can be as simple as watching the news and being aware of the issues. After all, it is through awareness that the seed of action may grow.

Our country needs heroes more than ever. Heroism does not necessarily demand your blood. Becoming a hero can be as simple as performing your civic duties without being told or forced to do so. Becoming a hero can be as simple as abandoning your apathy.

137 Sumilao farmers arrived at around 11pm last Saturday. Their arrival brought the total number of Sumilao farmers in Manila to 144. They came down the boat in their disciplines lines chanting, . All dressed in their uniform white shirts and they were a sight to see.

I can’t wait to see them marching around Malakanyang, chanting their hearts out, shouting to their hearts content to the high heavens praying for justice, truth and their own land to till. I cant wait to see them in double file walking the streets around the palace. But I will have to wait a little longer.

The news of their arrival shook their adversaries. The lady in Malakanyang got nervous, the businessman in Ortigas panicked. They made a full turn around, suddenly became interested in the negotiations, too afraid to see the 144 farmers take their first step in the walk around Malakanyang. Maybe we are in the verge of winning. Maybe not. I am sure of one thing though, they wont like it when we begin our charge.

The Sumilao farmers will win. We will make sure we will win. They deserve their land. They deserve justice.

Will this be another one of government’s broken promises?

Nobody believes that government will be true to its word. Government, especially Gloria’s government, has broken too many promises, uttered too many lies for people to believe any word government says. If government reneges on its promise to the Sumilao farmer, would this be the end of their dream of owning a piece of land?

I DO NOT BELIEVE SO. Not because I believe that Gloria is true to her word. On the contrary I believe Gloria just wanted a way out of a very sensitive situation. I do not believe that the dreams and hopes of the Sumilao farmers solely lie in the hands of government.

I DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS GOING TO BE THE END OF THEIR DREAM. Dreams don’t die too easily on a people who have shown the nation they can weather any storm, survive any hardship, withstand betrayals and bad faith. Every blow thrown against them only makes their will and resolve to fight and struggle on stronger.

I share their dream. I will share in their struggle. I will struggle beside them.

The waiting ends today. We have waited for a month. The government did nothing for a month. How many hectares have we lost to the illegal construction after a month? How much longer do we wait. Today we stop waiting. Today, we begin our walk anew.

Last time, we walked from our homes to the halls of power in Malacañang to knock at the hearts and conscience of the powerful. It appears they will not use even an ounce of their power to make good their promise of returning us to our land. Today, we begin walking the opposite direction. We will walk to the homes of the people beginning with the young in their schools, then to the faithful in their Churches. We will knock at the hearts and conscience of the ordinary people as we continue to knock on those of the powerful. We will walk on and on until our steps will lead us back to our homes to till the land that is rightly and justly ours.

We will walk with our faith intact. We will continue to walk the way of peace with the Church, its leaders, clergy and the faithful beside us. We continue to walk to soften the hearts of the rich and powerful, we will walk to strengthen the will of the just and the faithful.

Today we resume the Walk for Land, and Walk for Justice. We will not stop until our land is returned to us. We will continue walking until justice is ours.

SUMILAO FARMERS’ MANIFESTO
17 January 2008 / Arzobispado de Manila, Intramuros

video from: balatucan615

Pasensya na at hindi ako nakakapagsulat lately dahil sa work sa Akbayan at sa pagsama ko rin sa kampanya ng Sumilao farmers. Ginagawa ko na minsang araw ang gabi samantalang ang araw ay araw pa rin hehehe. I’m posting the news item in today’s Inquirer. Ako rin naman ang nagsulat ng press release on which the news is based and the draft of the Sumilao farmers’ Manifesto.

By the way, nasa news rin today that the former owner of the 144-hectare property, Norberto Quisumbing Sr., filed a petition in the Supreme Court yesterday questioning the validity of the December 18 Office of the President Order revoking the conversion order granted byformer Executive Sec. Ruben Torres in 1995.

Hindi pa tapos ang laban ng mga Sumilao farmers. They need our continued support and prayers. Salamat po.

JOSEL

=================================================================================

Disappointed Sumilao farmers back in Manila

By Jerome Aning, Beverly T. Natividad
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:04:00 01/17/2008
MANILA, Philippines — Declaring they couldn’t wait another minute for Malacañang to make good on its promise to hand over a piece of farmland they claim, the Sumilao farmers are back in Manila to retrace their “walk for justice” to recover a 144-hectare property in Bukidnon.

Twelve of the 55 Sumilao farmers who marched 1,700-kilometers to the capital late last year have returned, dismayed by the government’s failure to stop the construction activities of San Miguel Foods Inc. (SMFI) on the disputed property despite an order from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to revert the land to agricultural use.

The Sumilao farmers, who are being supported by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, said the one-month wait for the Palace to act was “way too long” and they cannot wait any more.

“The waiting ends today. We have waited for a month. The government did nothing for a month. How many hectares have we lost to the illegal construction after a month? How much longer do we wait?” they said in a statement.

They said they have not seen any indication that the government intended to hasten the return of the land. They said the SMFI was expanding its construction activities and authorities did not lift a finger to stop it.

The farmers said they will resume their walk, not to Malacañang but to the people. They will walk to the homes of the people, beginning with the young in the schools, and then to the faithful in the churches.

“We will knock at the hearts and conscience of the ordinary people as we continue to knock at those of the powerful. We will walk on and on until our steps will lead us back to our homes to till the land that is rightly and justly ours,” they said in their manifesto.

Linda San-ahan, one of the farmers, said they have returned because they did not want a repeat of what happened 10 years ago when the farmers opted to trust the government to distribute to them the promised 100 hectares after they staged a hunger strike.

However, they lost the land instead when government allowed the landowner to convert the property into an agro-industrial park, which the owner never did, selling the land to SMFI instead.

Rene Peñas, another member of the group, said that after the President’s December 18 revocation order, they waited for government to proceed with the next step and subject the land to agrarian reform.

“We watched painfully as SMFI continued to build their hog farm as if there was no revocation order. We asked the DAR and the Office of the President to stop the construction because it has been rendered illegal by the order but nothing happened. We can no longer take this sitting down. Today we stop waiting,” Peñas said.

Amid criticism that the Sumilao farmers stood in the way of a much sounder development model being undertaken by SMFI, Rosales said the basic and most important issue in the Sumilao case was justice.

“The basic issue is justice on top of a business that promises profits to hundreds of potential workers. The real issue is: Could you be just to farmers who have prior right to the land?” said Rosales.

Rosales said that while it may be true that SMFI could develop the property far better than the farmers could, it will be a development built on injustice.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo clarified on Thursday that the group has turned down an offer of alternative property from SMFI.

Pabillo, who heads the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines social action arm, the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA), said he received an offer by phone from SMFI which he considered vague.

“The offer was not clear. It was not even a formal offer since we only talked about it over the phone. We cannot negotiate without any details,” said Pabillo.

But Peñas told reporters the Sumilao farmers will not agree to any land exchange deal with SMFI.

For one thing, he cannot imagine where SMFI would get an alternative piece of land as all the farmland in the area is already owned by various farmer-beneficiaries under the land reform program.

“Are we going to fight with fellow landless farmers for another piece of land?” Peñas said in Filipino.

(Originally entitled How Slogans Can Make a Difference, for my Babble On column in the Sunstar Davao, January 18, 2008)

In a recent issue of Forbes Asia magazine, there was an article on “Slogans That Work.” It talked about how corporate catchphrases and mottos can be effective, provided that there is some substance behind it.

Meaning, they work only if the companies do actually support these mottos, and aren’t just using them as mere wordplay. For mottos to work, companies have to mean what they say, and essentially, say what they mean.

One example that the Forbes article cites is Nintendo. For years, the Japanese gaming company rallied around the motto of “The Blue Ocean.” Blue Ocean strategy basically says that companies shouldn’t battle it out in an already saturated market, but should instead develop uncontested market space with limitless potential.

And Nintendo did exactly that. Nintendo sidestepped the standard gaming market and aimed instead at people who never played videogames before. Uncontested market space equaled limitless profits.

Nintendo produced the Wii, which has attracted new gamers and is especially popular with women and older players. These were people who were never even considered part of the videogame market. Nintendo Wiis now outsell the products of Sony (the Playstation 3) and Microsoft (Xbox 360).

Nintendo’s Blue Ocean made a difference and succeeded because it wasn’t mere wordplay for them. It was their way of corporate life. It was a motto that became part of the corporate culture.

(Btw- In the Philippines, early advocates of the Blue Ocean strategy are Francis Kong and Josiah Go, who both teach seminars on the subject.)

In the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila prides itself in “creating men and women for others.” This is not mere wordplay either. One only has to look at the number of social entrepreneurs that make up the alumni of this school. For example, Harvey Keh created Pathways to Higher Education, which helps less-fortunate students from public schools receive quality university education.

Atty. Carlos Medina, a graduate of the Ateneo School of Law, went into alternative lawyering (where lawyers essentially work for free ) and became head of the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC).

The AHRC’s clients aren’t the top moneymakers. Instead, their clients are people like the Sumilao Farmers, poor and indigent, but in need of legal assistance.

Ateneo continues to mold men and women for others, because that institution supports its motto by believing in it, living it and breathing it everyday. Pathways and the AHRC are actively supported by the Ateneo leadership; both organizations have offices within the Ateneo campuses.

In the curriculum of the Ateneo itself, there are even classes which require immersion in poorer communities, in order to expose the studentry to those not so blessed in life. The Ateneo also actively supports and encourages the Jesuit Volunteer Program (JVP) among its students.

It’s no wonder that Ateneo continues to produce selfless graduates, men and women for others, such as Benigno Aquino, who literally came home to the Philippine from exile to die. He believed in his motto that “the Filipino is worth dying for.”

Mottos aren’t just mere words. They can embody an entire culture and lifestyle, provided the corporation, institution or person wants it, supports it and believes in it. Then and only then can the motto make a difference.

As a law student and writer, I know the power of words. I make my living off of them, after all. I believe in the power of words so much, I made my blog and column’s personal motto revolve around it: “Making a difference one word at a time.”

I try and stay true to that motto every time I write. It’s a heady responsibility, knowing that with each word I put down, I am trying to make a difference in the life of my readers. It makes me more careful of what I write, and of the thoughts I consider putting down on paper.

So I continue to write and try to make a difference — whether it is through expanding the political point of view of my readers, sharing a lesson I learned with them, or simply just blogging a random thought, I hope my words can make a difference, one way or the other.

Whether I succeed or not like Nintendo and the Ateneo did however, is another story entirely. But I keep trying. One word at a time.

Your motto and your words can make a difference – you just have to stay true to them. And most of all, you have to believe in them.

So what’s your motto?

=====

Related Posts:

• Being Positive
• The Beijing Principles
• Making An Impact

Street scene in Butuan City. (AD Curato St.)

News reports from Mindanao Gold Star Daily showed that former Valencia City Mayor Jose Galario and incumbent Mayor Leandro Catarata hit each other on air in a radio program. In a radio program of Mayor Catarata, ex mayor Galario asked the anchor whether he could talk with Catarata but the latter denied but not without making pabaon statement. “Warning to everybody, dili magpalabi”, supposedly directing the warning to Galario. The anchor allegedly was rendered speechless for a few moments due to the outburst of the Mayor.

Galario was reacting because Catarata always blame him for the failure of his administration.

“Kung nay problema and syudad karon, failure kana sa iyang admin ug dili ako lang kanunay ang iyang pasanginlan.”

Galario raised several issues against the Catarata administration such as lavish benefits to city officials, dirty market, dilapidated farm to market roads, delayed payment of City accounts and non hiring of employees despite the City’s financial capacity. Galario also clarified that before he step down as Mayor, he already prepared all the necessary documents on the payables of the city which have enough funds to meet the obligations.

This prompted Galario to contemplate initiating a Recall Elections against Catarata. In a teletext survey during the radio program, of the 136 texters, 106 were in favor, 12 against and 3 undecided on the proposition. The complaints range from bahu nga merkado, mora nag sungkaan ang karasada, walay nahimo sulod sa 6 ka buwan, maayo lang sa estorya pero wala sa buhat, wala makapuo a mga drug lords ug pushers sa Valencia, dili makatabang sa Valencianos apan motabang sa nabahaan sa Malaybalay City, mora nibalik sa pagka barrio ang Valencia kay mingaw na.

But a local analyst said recalling Catarata is difficult task considering that the Mayor had the overwhelming support of Governor Joe Zubiri.

“Galario should wait for the 2010 elections if he wants a political comeback, for if he loses during the recall, his chances for 2010 will be weakened.”

***

Sumilao case update. San Miguel Corporation is offering the Sumilao farmers with employment and alternative lands in exchange for the latters 144 hectare claim now occupied by San Miguel Foods but this is somehow rejected by the farmers. In the news now is the call of Bishop Fabillo and Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma S.J. for the return of the land by San Miguel Corporation to the Sumilao farmers. Archbishop Ledesma and Bisho Fabillo concluded that the land is primarily suited for agriculture and not for agro industrial ventures like the hog farm that San Miguel Foods is insisting. This is a test case on the true implementation of the agrarian reform law. The issue now is not of which gives more benefit to the farmers but what is legal and moral in the prevailing circumstances. If there is a law and the law squarely favors the stand of the farmers, then the law should be implemented faithfully.

***

Nothing can come out of nothing. The camp of Migs Zubiri is still smarting from the discovery of empty ballot boxes in Shariff Kabunsuan and Sultan Kudarat in the ongoing revision of the ballots of the election protest filed by Atty. Koko Pimentel. A lawyer for Migs Zubiri cited that in case where the ballots are missing, other documents such as election returns, statement of votes from political parties and election watchdog can be referred to. But this was countered by the Pimentel camp that how could they refer to other sources when the ERs supposedly stuffed in the ballot boxes are also missing. Furthermore, the action is revision of the ballots so its really the ballots that the protestant is after. Without the ballots, its irrelevant to talk about other documents in the first place.

Zubiri’s votes in the affected areas is at 32,000. His lead against Koko Pimentel is at 19,000. Without the 32,000 votes in the said areas, Koko will overtake Migs by 12,000 votes. Zubiri’s lawyer should be reminded that nothing comes out of nothing. Without the ballots, there is no ER to speak of. Nothing can come out of nothing. Well, the Zubiri camp just hope that the case will drag on until 2010. Koko Pimentel will run for senate again by then and that would leave his protest moot and academic.

***

Wishful thinking. Migs Zubiri said that with so many presidential hopefuls, the opposition will self destruct in the coming 2010 elections. He even suggested those who cannot be accommodated is welcome to join the administration camp. That only shows how bankrupt is the administration that they have to resort to piracy in order to boost their ranks. With present unpopularity of Gloria Arroyo, the administration is in wishful thinking that the next president would come from their ranks even with several opposition candidates as against the administration. Just remember the fate of balimbings like Tessie Aquino-Oreta and Vic Sotto who suddenly went to the administration party last May 2007 elections. Sotto’s artista popularity was not enough to catapult him even with a respectable finish. Both of them were blown away into political oblivion.

The administration should just make up with what they have like Noli De Castro who I believe will not win in the presidential derby. People are now tired of individuals whose ticket to the presidency is their popularity. Erap is an exception of course, since his mettle as a local and a national leader have been tested. Noli de Castro has an insignificant stint in the Senate and a more obscure presence when he became Vice President. People will never forget how he played safe during the trying times of Gloria Arroyo presidency. Besides, he cant just brush aside the notion that he benefited from Gloria’s “Hello Garci” caper.

Anyway, the opposition can win despite several candidates if the administration will just field Noli. They can just forget about it.

I was set to fly to Cagayan de Oro last December 20 for the Christmas break. I was booked on the 11:30am Cebu Pacific flight. I woke up around 4am as usual, packed my bags got myself ready early to evade the heavy traffic going to the airport. Alam ko kasing magdagsaan na ang mga tao pauwi at may karanasan na ako dati na muntik na akomg maiwan ng plane dahil tumagal ako sa pila sa labas dahil sa security check.

Habang ako’y nagkakape at naghihintay ng oras, napag-isipan ko kung kaya ko bang iwanan ang kampanya ng Sumilao na basta ganun na lang. Noong umagang yun sila ay naglakad papuntang Paco para kausapin si Cardinal Rosales. Because I had time to kill, I really thought hard about my options. On the one hand, I have to make sure that I will be in Cagayan de Oro for Christmas kasi 1 year na kaming di nagkikita ng anak ko at may usapan na rin kamii ng Mom ko na magkasama kaming magkakapatid sa pasko. Alam ko if I missed my flight, it would be almost impossible to get another flight and I will be pushing my luck too far kung magchance passenger ako. Di ko pa nga alam kung talagang uuwi ang mga Sumilao farmers and how.

On the otherhand naman, medyo uneasy ako sa idea na mang-iiwan ako ng mga kasama sa gitna ng laban. Alam kong they will understand if I fly ahead of them pero napaka-uneasy talaga ng pakiramdam ko. To make the long story short, I decided to forego my flight that day and try my luck with the Sumilao farmers. Humabol ako sa kanila sa Paco. Di ko talaga alam kung pagsisisihan ko ang desisyong yun pero sumugod na lang ako doon. Nagtawanan ang aking mga kasama sa kampanya, di ko daw talaga matiis ang mauna. Sagot ko lang ay: Bahala na si Batman! hehehe

It took 2 more days before it became definite that they will be going home to Bukidnon. Medyo kinabahan ako ng konti kasi ang mga options were to take a Sulpicio Lines boat (which offered a very big discount and later offered to take all of us for free) or take Malakanyang’s offer to fly to Cagayan de Oro on-board as military C130 plane. Pag nagdecide na magbarko, magpapasko kami sa laot as December 25 pa ang arrival sa CDO. Kapag mag C130 dadating kami ng December 23. Medfyo mabigat ang naging pag-uusap sa mode ng pag-uwi kasi there were political considerations. December 22 na ng hapon nafinalize na we will take the C130 plane as a goodwill gesture.

Naka-schedule ang flight namin ng December 23 at 5:30am from Villamor Airbase. Di na ako nakatulog ng gabing yun kasi mahaba ang paalalaman sa mga naging kasama sa kampanya. Hanggang hatinggabi ay patuloy ang dating ng mga tao para magdala ng mga kung anu-anong pabaon sa mga magsasaka. Pati mga madre ay napuyat sa kakahakot ng mga pabaon nila sa kanila. Bandang 1am dumating ang bus ng isang Catholic school na pinahiram ng mga madre. Di kami kakasya doon kasi napakarami namin – exactly 80 people, at napakadami ang mga gamit – mga de-lata, mga sako ng bigas at kung anu-ano pang pabaon. Bandang 2am dumating ang 2 army trucks na magdadala ng mga kargamento at mga tao.

Dumating kami sa Villamor Airbase around 4am. Maraming mga taong nakapila para sumakay ng mga military flights. Dahil yata nagmamadali ang Malakanyang na pauwiin na ang mga Sumilao farmers ay pinaderetso na kami sa pre-departure. Pina-hilera ang lahat ng aming mga kargamento at pinasinghot sa aso (Nag-isip pa silang magdala kami ng bomba hayz… para ano? Pasabugin ang aming mga sarili? hehehe). Mahaba ang proseso ng pagload ng mga kargamento kasama ang multi-cap at jeep na nag-escort sa mga magsasaka sa 1.700-km nilang lakad. Bandang 5am ay pinasakay na kami sa eroplano. Joskopo Para kaming mga sardinas. Sana gitna ang 2 sasakyan at nasa harap at likod ang mga karga. Kami ay nakatayo sa 2 sides. Kanya-kanya na kami ng hanap ng pwesto, ang mga maswerte ay nakatapat sa upuan samantalang karamihan ay walang maupuan kundi ang sahig at ang iba ay nakatayo.

Kahit medyo masama ang panahon napakasmooth ng amiing flight siguro dahil sa laki ng dambuhalang C130. Medyo bago ang eroplano kaya malakas ang aircon, maya-maya pa ay giniginaw na ang mga magsasaka. We arrived in Cagayan de Oro at around 7:30am. Sinalubong kami sa airport ng mga support groups. After 2 months of walking, the Sumilao farmers have stepped on Mindanao soil.

It was not the most comfortable plane ride home that I have ever experienced, in fact, mas comfortable pa ang karamihan kong bus rides. However, it remains to be the best of my trips, it was an honor to have shared a part of the journey of the Sumilao farmers. I shall continue my journey with them until the day they will come home to the land that they will call their own.

The struggle continues…

***Photos from sumilaomarch.multiply.com

Madam President:

There is no escaping the reality that your popularity has plummeted to the lowest level a sitting president of the Republic has ever registered. No amount of denials made by Tuting Bunye can change that fact. All you have to do is go out of Malacanang and ask the ordinary man on the street. There is no one to blame but you. And only you can right the wrongs that the public perceives with your administration.  If you will allow me, I would like to dwell on a few key issues affecting your leadership style.

Face the truth, Madam President. Corruption has reached worst levels since the Marcos regime. It is openly being committed by people around you, starting with the First Gentleman and people close to him. I don’t mean to mess with your married life, but this man has always been trouble to your administration. Talk about corruption, and the first name that instantly comes to mind is Mike Arroyo. Talk about greed, and Mike Arroyo’s wide girth comes into the picture. Only you can stop somebody like Mike Arroyo. By tolerating his activities, you are giving your stamp of approval.

The others in your official family are no different. Perhaps they have seen that you are soft on corruption committed by people close to you, and they feel they can get away with highway robbery for as long as they are able to whisper nice words into your ears. In a manner of speaking, they even resort to antics of court jesters to keep you happy while they steal millions of public funds.

A good example is Boboy Syjuco. No less than the Commission on Audit has uncovered numerous cases of anomalous transactions committed at the TESDA which he heads. The Presidential Anti Graft Commission (PAGC) has recommended the filing of criminal and administrative cases against him. But Boboy Syjuco is not worried. He discovered that all he needs to do is publish full-page ads in national newspapers praising you, and he is amply protected from the law. He isn’t worried about his tattered image as perhaps the most corrupt Cabinet official in the Arroyo administration.

It is time to kick ass, Mrs. President.

Show the people that you mean business when it comes to corruption. Send Mike back to exile. Let him run around the world to places where he can’t cause you trouble. Shackle his cohorts in chains so they can’t touch the government’s public works projects. Drop the axe on corrupt officials like Boboy Syjuco to send a strong signal that this government does not tolerate corruption. Don’t allow their sweet words to melt your strong will.

Secondly, your record in the delivery and administration of justice is one of the worst, perhaps second only to the martial law years under Marcos. That’s because your personal pick as secretary of Justice is the number one persecutor in the country. Instead of wielding the sword of justice to protect the rights and welfare of the people, he swings it hard to attack his enemies and those he perceives as threats to your office. Raul Gonzalez is a heavy, rusty anchor that is dragging your administration down, Mrs. President.

Why don’t you commission a survey on the popularity and acceptability rating of Gonzalez? I can bet my one-month’s salary he would land in the lowest rung among Cabinet officials. He would rate in the same level as Syjuco. He might appear to you as a knight in shining armor, charging into the fray whenever you are in trouble and slaying the dragons you are out to eat you. Unfortunately, the public sees things differently. They regard Gonzalez as a bad boy who bullies people who disagree with you.

You had a very convenient excuse to unload Gonzalez when he underwent a kidney transplant. But Gonzalez can’t stay put without power. He needs power and influence to fuel his bloated ego. That’s why, against the advice of his doctors, he went back to the Department of Justice to take back his position. Do you ever believe a sick man can serve you well at DOJ? Think, Mrs. President. Gonzalez is a big liability, and the best course of action is unload him. He is your worst PR nightmare. Get rid of him.

I know that you have been under a lot of stress this Christmas, what with the surveys showing how badly you have performed in terms of popularity and image. Giving out rice and canned goods to poor people in San Juan or granting the demands of Sumilao farmers or issuing clemency for the release of old prisoners from Bilibid won’t change the public perception about you. This is all about you as a person.

The Philippines needs a strong leader, one who can inspire the people, one who can gain respect, one with a true vision for a progressive nation. The surveys say you don’t measure up to the standards of the people. Time is running out on you. If you don’t change course, you will go down in history as the worst and most hated President of the Republic. And it’s not because you are “pandak”.

Your humble servant,

Manuel Mejorada

photo lifted from sunstar.com.ph

photo lifted from www.gmanews.tv

The second incident, is that the Sumilao farmers are finally going home after almost a month of stay in Manila. The eyesore Sumilao farmers will no longer bother Malacanang this Christmas after GMA solved the problem superficially by reverting the land use from industrial to agricultural. But the victory is hollow considering that nothing is definite if the land will be finally given back to the farmers. As of this writing, there seems to be backdoor negotiations which is quite suspicious.

***

Gloria Arroyo’s men are touring Mindanao to distribute her “Pamaskong Handog”.  The package consist of sardines, and noodles and other goods. Its GMA’s way of helping the poor people in the countryside.  This could have look genuine if not for the background that Congressmen and Governors received payolas as high as 500,000 pesos each.  But for her, thats not a problem.  Anyway people will be given crumbs during Christmas season just like this one. Never mind wasting millions of pesos, sardinas lang ang katapat come Christmas time.    

Anyway, Filipinos will be spending another Christmas season under the shadow of GMA government. I dont think this is a perfect backdrop to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  Bishops, when will your sermons reconcile with your actions.  I am losing my faith fast.

And please lang press people,  spare the Filipino people of news about the Arroyo’s whereabouts this Christmas. They might be spending it in some expensive venues.

Thats adding insult to injury.

Malacañang ‘open house’ on Christmas Day

December 24 to January 2 next year are official special holidays, Malacañang loudmouth Ignacio Bunye, who recently cheated death in Kuwait, announced yesterday. Assuaging concerns on lost productivity however, the national government has also decided to make at least five regular holidays next year, probably including Lenten holy days, regular work days.

“We are not kowtowing to the Catholic Church, this is simply part of the president’s policy on holiday economics,” Bunye said. Holiday economics is premised on the belief that the tourism benefits of lumping weekends and holidays into contiguous periods, far outweigh the costs of adjustment in the production sectors. Three fourths of economists we surveyed said the belief is unfounded, baseless, and purely a matter of the president’s perception.

Tuesday, December 25, will also be ‘open house day’ in Malacañang and Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be on hand to receive ordinary citizens and to listen to their grievances and other concerns, including family/relationship problems, health including schizophrenia and impotence, and most of all corruption in government.

Chief of staff Eduardo Ermita revealed that visitors will each receive an envelop containing an undetermined amount in cash; a food basket with cans of Century tuna, ham, chestnuts, and century eggs; and 500 kilowatt-hours of free electricity from Monte Oro of Enrique Razon, prospective operator of the national transmission system.

The free electricity will be made available via an electric chair, and the recipients will be allowed to choose the most comfortable voltage in the range 32-69 thousand volts. The voltage range, according to Ermita, has been determined to cause an electric shock that is just enough to induce PSALM-singing and truth-telling in the respondents in time for the next survey on presidential corruption.

Landless farmers will receive a special package: a bag of fertilizer, a sack of humus soil, two earthen pots, and vegetable seeds from Prospero Pichay. Visitors from outside Luzon will be reimbursed for transportation expenses, but only for economy class passage, preferably on paper boats.