DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/26 April) – A farmers’ group in Bukidnon has sought the President’s intervention to stop what they called a “reign of terror” by “goons” of the contested 502-hectare Villalon Ranch in this town.
In a statement, Alyansa Bukidnon chair Oscar Maniego said “armed goons deployed by the owner of the ranch have been running amok, and government inaction has emboldened them to commit human rights violations against members of the Panalsalan Dagumbaan Tribal Association (Padata) and even to murder a farmer last year.”
Maniego based his statement on the result of a fact-finding mission on March 29 that cited the alleged abuses perpetrated by the ranch guards against the farmers. The allegations included looting of farm animals and produce, firing at houses and damage to property, as well as harassment. Read More »
MARAMAG, Bukidnon (MindaNews/04 December) – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of South Bukidnon believes it can meet its target to distribute the lands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) before the year ends.
But Task Force Mapalad (TFM), a national federation of farmers, farm workers and individuals working for agrarian reform, doubts the agency can meet its target given the current pace of the implementation of the program.
Norberto Paquingan, Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO) of South Bukidnon, claimed that they can meet the 2,126-hectare target before December 31. Read More »
On May 24-25, some 200 farmers belonging to the Davao Oriental Farmers and Farmworkers Alliance (DOFFA) staged a protest at the DAR-XI compound for the alleged “illegal exemption order” issued by DAR-XI regional director Yusoph Mama for the large real estates in Davao Oriental even as there is an ongoing process for coverage under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
As no one from the DAR would willing to face them, the farmers barged towards the gate and marched towards the office of the regional director. Apparently, Mama was not around. One of his staff told the media that his boss is in Manila.
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/24 May) — Some 200 farmers forcibly entered the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) – XI compound in Barangay Catalunan Pequeño on Tuesday and demanded the resignation of DAR-XI chief Yusoph Mama for his alleged illegal order exempting large estates in Davao Oriental from the coverage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
The farmers, belonging to the Davao Oriental Farmers and Farmworkers Alliance (DOFFA), started to converge at the gate of the DAR compound at 10am and burned coconut husks and coconut shells to symbolize their protest against the exemption order.
The lone security guard failed to stop the agitated farmers.
Thirty minutes later, the farmers barged towards the gate and marched to the office of the regional director. [read full story]
Anyway, this slideshow is just an experimental work — combining a raw audio recorded from the picket line and few photographs — and this is a rough edit.
MARAMAG, Bukidnon (MindaNews/04 December) – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of South Bukidnon believes it can meet its target to distribute the lands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) before the year ends.
