Remembering Resistance
A Conversation with Filipino Farmers
Noong November 17, 2008 kami po ay nagkaisa, kasama ang 45 na magsasaka ng BANASI Young Farmers Association, na maglakad mula dito sa Bula, CamSur patungong Manila upang ipanawagan sa gobyerno na huwag bawiin ang karapatan sa pagmamay-ari ng lupang ipinamahagi sa aming mga magulang na pilit na binabawi ng dating may-ari.
Randy Cirio, BANASI Young Farmers Association
Histories of Hostility
Mr. Randy Cirio is the son of farmers who benefited from Agrarian Reform, and now he himself is a farmer as well as a leader in his community and cooperative.
He became active in the fight for the betterment of the sector when, in 2008, CARP’d lands were forcibly taken by their previous landlords. In response, the farmers, including Sir Randy, walked all the way to Metro Manila in protest. In addition, he also joined the march from Davao City to the Malacanang Palace to express dissent against the Coco Levy Trust Fund. He says of the experience:
“Doon nakita ko yung talagang hinagpis din ng mga kapatid nating magsasaka sa niyogan na dehado sila. Dahil noong panahon ng administrasyong Marcos, simula singilin sila ng buwis para dun sa mga niyog na binebenta nila, noong nakalikom ng mahigit na 71 billion pesos ay hindi naman sa kanila nakapunta bagkus ay ito nga ay pinagdedebatihan diyan sa Kongreso pati sa Senado na hanggang ngayon hindi napapakinabangan ng mga magsasaka.”
Mr. Cirio adamantly feels that the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) pushes farmers further into poverty, and he believes that there are bureaucratic processes in place that alienate farmers. An example is that only registered farmers were given aid when the RTL was passed.
Sir Randy is a person who embodies the noble pursuit of leadership and service
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This testimonial is an excerpt from an interview with Mr. Randy Circio, who has given consent to its publication.
Note: This excerpt was translated into English from Filipino.
My father was so scared, so he sold our land instead. We were poor before that, but we became even poorer. The money we got from selling our land didn't last long. We bought my brother insulin and everything he needed for his diabetes, but he couldn't cope. It came to the point that we couldn’t even pay for a check-up, and he died. He couldn't see a doctor for his condition.
In the end, we lost our land, and I lost my brother.
Alar-Laa Cagata, PATANOM Credit Cooperative
Stories of Struggle
Alar-Laa Cagata was raised by CARP beneficiaries in Panay, and at the tender age of 10 years old, she began farming herself. Along with her family, she would wake at 3:00am in the morning to work in the fields. She spent her childhood with her hands stained with red, colored by the fertilizer. Seeing her parents toil in all sorts of inhospitable climes, she began wanting to leave behind farming. She “knew how difficult their lives were and how they'd endure the heat of the sun and the chill of the rain just to harvest their crops.”
When her brother fell ill, her family sold their land, but their savings quickly ran dry, and he sadly passed away. Today, she runs her own farm alongside her husband, while assisting other farmers by serving as the head technician of their cooperative.
She believes that the biggest problems faced by the sector include landlessness, unfair pricing of products, unlivable wages, exploitative practices by various private entities, and oppressive government policies.
Mrs. Alar-Laa hopes to be able to buy back her parents’ land one day.
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Mrs. Alar-Laa Cagata has graciously given us permission to release portions of her interview. The write-up was translated from Hiligaynon and was then paraphrased.
