Lakbayan Press Release

KASAMA-TK
Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan

PRESS RELEASE REFERENCE: Orly Marcellana
June 5, 2008 Secretary General, KASAMA-TK

Southern Tagalog farmers begin six-day walk for genuine agrarian reform,
urge Congress not to pass CARP extension

Around 700 Southern Tagalog farmers began their six-day walk from Nasugbu, Batangas today to call for the speedy enactment of the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB or House Bill 3057) instead of the bill extending the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which Pres. Arroyo certified as an urgent bill last Tuesday. The farmers, who said they were “victims of the anti-farmer, pro-landlord CARP,” called on Congressmen and Senators to truly serve the interests of the farmers by disapproving the bill to extend it five more years.

The farmers, led by Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK), will culminate their protest march at the foot of Mendiola bridge on June 10, the day the CARP is set to expire. The farmers’ walk, entitled “Lakbayan para sa Lupa, Pagkain at Hustisyang Panlipunan,” will pass through at least three provinces in the region – Batangas, Cavite, and Laguna – before entering the National Capital Region.

The Lakbayan will consist of two main clusters: the first cluster will be composed of contingents from Batangas and Cavite to Tagaytay – Silang – Dasmarinas – Bacoor in Cavite; the second cluster will be composed of contingents from Quezon, Laguna and Rizal which will converge at Crossing, Calamba on June 8 and travel to Alabang where they will start walking to Zapote road. The two clusters will finally converge at Zapote and continue marching to Baclaran church up to the DAR office on June 9. The number of participants upon converging is expected to reach around 1,500.

Orly Marcellana, secretary general of KASAMA-TK, said twenty years of CARP are enough to reveal that it is a bogus land reform program. ”The farmers from Batangas and Cavite who have joined the Lakbayan are testimonies of CARP’s failure to address the main problem of farmers, that is landlessness. This is because it clearly serves the interests of landlords and foreign capitalists.”

In Batangas, highlight cases include the following: Hacienda Looc in Nasugbu where around 10,000 farmers were affected by land-use conversion and the cancellation of certificate of land ownership awards and emancipation patents; and Hacienda Fule which led to the dislocation of 80 families due to land grabbing, conversion, and cancellation of CLOA.

Marcellana noted that since the implementation of CARP, protest camps in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform office have been non-stop and various land dispute cases have remained unresolved for years. He said they have put up a protest camp against CARP in front the DAR office since May 27.

With Arroyo’s declaration, farmers are enraged that the bill to extend CARP may be passed soon despite continued protests of farmers against CARP in the twenty years of its implementation.

”The rice crisis we are experiencing is proof that the CARP has done nothing to solve the landlessness of peasants and the development of agriculture in the country. Since CARP was implemented, more farmers have been driven away from their lands and homes because of massive land-grabbing and land-use conversion made legal by CARP. CARP is a pest to the farmers being directed by Arroyo,” Marcellana said.

”Instead of providing lands for farmers, CARP only further concentrates land into the hands of the few landlords. Agricultural lands are also being lost because they are converted into eco-tourism spots, subdivisions, and the like,” he added.###

For more information, please contact Dave – 09187748187.

Lakbayan ng mga Magsasaka ng Timog Katagalugan

KASAMA-TK
Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan

MEDIA ADVISORY REFERENCE: Orly Marcellana
June 5, 2008 Secretary General, KASAMA-TK

LAKBAYAN PARA SA LUPA, PAGKAIN AT HUSTISYANG PANLIPUNAN:
A 6-Day Walk of Southern Tagalog Farmers Marks its 2nd day with a Symbolic Meet

Farmers from the Batangas and Cavite provinces, led by Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK) and sectors from Southern Tagalog, marks the day with their symbolic meet at Tagaytay City.

The farmers are on their second day walk to continue calling on legislators to pass the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB), HB 3059 and to scrap the CARP extension instead.


ITINERARY:

JUNE 6 7AM Take-off
11AM Salubungan: Olivarez, Tagaytay, Cavite
Rest area: Brgy. Estrella, Silang, Cavite
JUNE 7 7AM Take-off
12NN Short Program: Brgy. Pala-pala, Dasmarinas, Cavite
Rest area: Dasmarinas
JUNE 8 7AM Assembly of delegates from Laguna and Quezon:
Crossing, Calamba, Laguna
8AM Caravan to Alabang
10AM Salubungan with Rizal delegates; Short program
Walk from Alabang to Zapote road
3PM Salubungan with Batangas-Cavite delegates: Zapote road
Torch parade to Baclaran
Rest area: Baclaran church
JUNE 9 Walk from Baclaran to Makati (Ayala Land office)
Torch parade to DAR office, Quezon City
JUNE 10 March from DAR to Mendiola



INTERVIEWS AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE.

MEDIA COVERAGE HIGHLY REQUESTED.

For more information, please contact Dave – 09187748187.