C. Luzon groups launch movement to protect farmlands from conversion

CABANATUAN CITY — Farmers’ groups and civil society organizations in Central Luzon launched the Save the Rice Granary Movement (SRGM) on Friday and called for a two-year moratorium on land conversion permits, warning that the continued loss of agricultural lands is worsening the country’s food security crisis.

The movement was launched at the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, where organizers cited the rapid conversion of farmlands into residential, commercial, industrial, energy, aviation, and infrastructure projects across Central and Northern Luzon.

Former Anakpawis party-list Representative Rafael Mariano said the continued conversion of agricultural lands remains one of the major factors behind recurring food shortage in the country.

“First and foremost, we can say that the country’s agricultural sector has long been in crisis, which is why we are facing a food crisis that is part of the broader crisis affecting the national economy,” Mariano told the Inquirer.

Mariano, a former secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and co-convenor of the SRGM, said the group is pushing for at least a two-year moratorium on the issuance of land conversion permits.

Instead, he said, the government should prioritize the free distribution of land to landless farmers, noting that an estimated seven out of 10 agricultural workers do not own the land they till.

Mariano added that the government has yet to fully recognize agriculture as the foundation of the Philippine economy.

The group raised concerns that, aside from malls, subdivisions, and industrial parks, large-scale energy, aviation, and infrastructure projects could further reduce agricultural lands across Central and Northern Luzon.

In Guimba, Nueva Ecija, a proposed aviation hub by Clarke Aerospace & Technical Services Inc. (CATSI) is feared to affect at least 200 hectares of farmland in Barangay Pacac, according to Pol Alcantara of Ugnayan para sa Libreng Serbisyo sa Irigasyon.

Alcantara said the project, which is currently under review by the Guimba municipal council, will serve as a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility as well as a manufacturing and assembly plant for aircraft from various countries.

Meanwhile, Roy Manuzon, head of Kalinga sa Kalikasan ng Puncan (KaPuncan), said a proposed wind energy project threatens both forest and agricultural areas downstream of the Pantabangan Dam.

The project covers more than 4,000 hectares of watershed area, much of it within the Talavera Watershed Forest Reserve, he said.

According to Manuzon, the project, which is currently undergoing public consultations and feasibility studies, involves the installation of 48 wind turbines capable of generating 300 megawatts of electricity.

The proposed sites include 30 turbines in Lupao, four in San Jose City, and 14 in Carranglan.

A farmer leader from Pangasinan said about 37,000 hectares of land in the province have already been converted to commercial, residential, and infrastructure uses.

In Bataan, provincial consultative body head Cecilio Lungcay criticized what he described as the widespread conversion of agricultural lands into commercial developments, including large warehouses.

“Everything is illegal,” Lungcay alleged, referring to what he claimed were unauthorized business activities involving cooking oil and cigarettes.

The launch of the movement was attended by farmers, workers, students, church groups, educators, scientists, health workers, environmental advocates, and food security and agrarian reform supporters from Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Zambales. /gsg