SUPPORT Members of different groups supporting agrarian reform beneficiaries in Concepcion, Tarlac, in this file photo taken on June 2022, demand the dropping of charges against the 83 farmers and advocates arrested during a planting activity. INQUIRER file photo / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — Senatorial candidates under the Makabayan coalition called for genuine agrarian reform on Wednesday, amid cases of harassment involving state forces and local farmers in Lupang Ramos in Dasmariñas City, Cavite.
In a community town hall on Wednesday, the senatorial candidates expressed their support for the local farmers as they continue to face threats of eviction from the local government unit (LGU) of Dasmariñas.
“Higit pa sa titulo o anumang dokumento ang karapatan ng mga magsasaka sa Lupang Ramos. Sumasalamin ang suliranin ng mga magsasaka rito sa kawalan pa rin ng tunay na reporma sa lupa na ang sentral na layunin ay libreng pamamahagi ng lupa sa mga nagbubungkal,” senatorial aspirant and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Chairperson Danilo Ramos said during the discussion.
(The rights of the farmers in Lupang Ramos go beyond titles or any documents. Their struggles reflect the ongoing lack of genuine land reform, with the central goal of free land distribution to those who cultivate it.)
According to fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), over 50 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Dasmariñas LGU attempted to enter Lupang Ramos on September 26.
State forces cited fire hazard mapping and droning operations as the purpose of their visit, Pamalakaya said in a statement.
Ramos, during the town hall, demanded for Dasmarinas LGU to junk resolutions allowing state forces to enter the disputed land under the guise of counterinsurgency operations.
He also emphasized that agrarian reform must be an urgent priority in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.
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“Dapat maging sentrong usapin ang repormang agraryo sa paparating na pambansang halalan sa 2025, dahil ang lupa ay batayang karapatan at katumbas ng seguridad sa pagkain ng bawat Pilipino,” Ramos said.
(Agrarian reform should be a central issue in the upcoming national elections in 2025, as land is a fundamental right and is equivalent to food security for every Filipino.)