CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A group of militant protesters, mostly farmers, flocked in front of the provincial Capitol to express their dismay over the current situation of farmers in Central Luzon.
The militant group protested to show their concerns in connection with President Rodrigo Duterte’s first 100 days as chief executive of the country.
According to Joseph Canlas, chair of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid ng Gitnang Luzon and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, they want to reach out to the governor to convey their message of fair treatment to local farmers.
After the assembly at the Capitol grounds, the group marched their way in front of the Public Attorneys’ Office to plead some cases regarding their claim on Hacienda Dolores’ farmlands in Porac town.
Canlas said farmers are forcefully shooed away from the land they till. They also claimed that the lawyers and judges are siding over the “capitalists who took their lands.”
Canlas also claimed that the Registrar of Deeds, which dispenses rights for land ownership, prioritizes the business sector rather than sustaining the lands as agricultural.
“Nagtataka yung mga magsasaka, nagbubungkal ng kanilang lupa, [pero] sa isang banda, may darating na nag-mamay-ari ng lupa at nakatitulo daw sa kanila yung lupa. Pero bago lang ang kanilang mga titulo,” he added.
Canlas also confessed that their protest is only a part of the bigger protest in Manila where they will also be heading, together with other militant groups.
PHILIP OCAMPO
