Bacolod militants push for genuine land reform, repeal of Memo 32 on Bonifacio Day

BACOLOD CITY – Militant groups marked Bonifacio Day in Bacolod City on Friday with protests calling for the implementation of genuine land reform and the repeal of Memorandum Order (MO) 32, that mandates deployment of troops on Negros Island, Bicol, and Samar.

At least 500 members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Kilusang Mayo Uno and Anakbayan members staged a protest in front of the Bacolod City Government Center replica at the Bacolod Public Plaza on Friday afternoon.

Bayan-Negros Secretary General Michael dela Concepcion said they were calling for the repeal of MO32 because the militarization of Negros and other provinces would not resolve land disputes.

He said the announcement of the President that he would put Negros Island under land reform was “another sweet but empty promise, this time about the century-old agrarian issue.”

“But until the government can define who will benefit from this and its role in nation building, Duterte will take the people on another ride,” De la Concepcion said.

About 200 members of the Partido Manggagawa (PM)-Negros also marched the streets of Bacolod on Friday “to pursue Bonifacio’s struggle for workers democratic rights and freedom.”

A PM Negros statement said the workers joining the march were demanding security of tenure, an end to contractualization, wage increases, scrapping of the TRAIN law, lower prices of commodities, increased public services such as health care, housing, and education, approval of the expanded maternity leave for women workers, agrarian reform, jobs and livelihood.

“These demands we can link to Bonifacio’s struggle for democratic rights and freedom, and, we, the working class, will continue the fight,” Ben Tundag, PM Negros chairperson, said.