Lawmaker denounces violent dispersal of farmers’ protest

Joel Pertis, a farmers organizer from Task Force Mapalad, holds up an empty canister which he believed is the source of the tear gas that dispersed a pro-Carp rally in the South Gate of the House of Representatives.

MANILA, Philippines–A lawmaker called for an investigation of the violent dispersal of a farmers’ protest held within the premises of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

In a statement, Akbayan Representative Ibarra “Barry” Gutierrez called as “unwarranted” the dispersal of the farmers’ protest in the South Gate calling for the passage of House Bill 4296, which calls for the additional coverage of lands not yet issued with notice of coverages under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp). The bill is authored by Akbayan.

Militant critics said the bill would extend what they deem a failed agrarian program, though lawmakers said the bill was only for the completion of Carp and not an extension.

“The use of violence is callous and definitely unwarranted as it smacks squarely on the farmers’ right to fully express their legitimate concerns and other compelling public interests to be addressed by the government and other concerned government agencies,” Gutierrez said.

“We denounce the callous and violent method employed by security agents to disperse a very small and powerless group of farmers whose mere agenda for trooping to Congress is to express their long-awaited clamor for the passage of the bill seeking for the completion of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP),” he added.
Holding up an empty canister of a tear gas used to disperse the protesters, a soaking Joel Pertis, a farmers’ organizer from Task Force Mapalad, said the congressional security and Philippine National Police treated the protesters like animals.
Task Force Mapalad is a national federation of farmers and other advocates for agrarian reform.

“Anong klaseng hayop ang tingin nila sa amin… Ang kailangan namin batas, hindi tear gas. Ang kailangan, maipasa ang batas, hindi tear gas,” Pertis said.

House Bill 4296–which seeks to extend for another two years the authority of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to issue notices of coverage and provide adequate funding for support services to agricultural landholdings not yet placed under Carp–is set to be approved in the chamber in June upon President Aquino’s endorsement.

The bill would be amended on the floor with the stated purpose that it is for the completion of the Carp and not an extension.

The Carp, known as the landmark agrarian reform legislation, which started under the Corazon Aquino administration, was extended in 2009 for another five years under the law Carp Extension with Reforms (Carper), but no law was passed repealing the implementation when the program expired in 2014.