KAISA ng Magsasaka: #BigasHindiBala!
KAISA expresses solidarity with the farmers of Kidapawan in light of the disastrous drought that pushed so many of them to hunger and desperation. Since April of last year, the Philippines has been experiencing one of the strongest and longest periods of extreme heat, which affects those sectors who rely directly on stable weather conditions for their livelihood and sustenance.
While a state of emergency has been raised, which meant that appropriate funds were released to respond to the situation, the local and national government have failed in responding to the needs of indigent farmers for food supply, alternative sources of income, and other means of social security. One farmer has even committed suicide because of the dire conditions he and his family have had to face.
These real and disturbing conditions caused 5,000 Kidapawan farmers to organize and stage a barricade to highlight their struggle, especially as the incumbent government's presidentiable - who repeatedly expressed that agriculture will be one of his priorities - was about to visit the province. And yet, in order to save face, the peaceful barricade turned into bloodshed when gunshots were fired at the farmers, killing three and injuring more than a hundred participants.
We condemn in the highest sense the acts of state-enforced violence aimed at curtailing those who highlight the failure of the local and national government to provide assistance to the victims of El Nino. We demand those who were responsible for the government inefficiency and for the succeeding murderous acts of harassment to come out and face accountability.
We further demand that the government undertake actions to ensure that indigent farmers can cope with the adverse effects of climate change.
These include:
1. The maximization of gains from land reform.
2. The provision of support for farmers in acquiring technology, adapting to climate change and provision of subsidies to help farmers increase their productivity and source of livelihood.
3. The shift away from neoliberal policies which fail to protect the agriculture sector, especially small-scale farmers, against competition from countries with more stable weather conditions and advanced industry.
4. The shift towards an ecologically-just, climate-responsive policies on energy, land use, food security, extraction and water resources.
Individuals and groups, especially from the University of the People, must stop dividing the student body and the rest of society, when together, we can help assert the demands of the countryside, here in our campus and the cities. No excuses can justify the act of terror the Kidapawan police has brought to the farmers. It is not a question of who helped the farmers organize and voice their concerns, nor is it a question of what means they used out of desperate need. It is a question of whether the needs of the many want to be and will be addressed by the few.
We call for justice in this tragic act of state terrorism. And we call for a united student body in asserting the demands of farmers and the masses in continued solidarity with the oppressed.
#BigasHindiBala!
Condemn state terrorism!
Solidarity, support and justice for the Kidapawan farmers!
* KAISA - Nagkakaisang Iskolar para sa Pamantasan at Sambayanan
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