Poverty in a Land of Plenty

Poverty in a Land of Plenty

The Land Rights Struggle of the Poor and Marginalized Sectors in Mindanao

The use of land bears a Social Function, and all economic agents shall contribute to the common good.  Such principle is enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution.  The Constitution goes further by stressing the virtue Social Justice and prioritizing the enactment of measures that protect and enhance the rights of all the people to dignity, reduce social, economic and political inequalities, and remove cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth and political power for the common good.

In line with this, the State mandates for the enactment of an Agrarian Reform program founded on the rights of landless farmers to own lands.  The state also protects the rights of indigenous cultural communities to their ancestral lands to ensure their economic, social and cultural well-being.

The sad fact, however, is that what is happening in actuality is the exact opposite of what is enshrined in our Constitution.  This reality is immensely manifest in the case of our Mindanao.  Poverty in a land of plenty—this best describes the situation in Mindanao- the second largest island in the Philippines.  While Mindanao is blessed with an expansive territory, bountiful natural resources and a vast potential for human capital, yet the people have yet to reap the island’s bounty. 

This situation is aggravated by the marginalization of Mindanao in the policy-making structures and processes of the country.  This marginalization is experienced intensely even in the field of the legal profession and the sector involved in the administration of justice.  While the Local Government Code (R.A. 7160) has devolved certain powers and authority of the executive and legislative branches of government to local government units, the judicial branch sadly remains highly “centralized”.

This highly “centralized” and alienating legal system contributes to the continuing disempowerment of the majority of Mindanawans, especially of the poor and the marginalized sectors.

The Sumilao Farmers’ more than a decade long struggle and sacrifice is proof of this unjust condition and inequality.  On October 10, 2007, 55 farmers—most of whom are Higaonon descendants- started their 1,700 walk on foot from Bukidnon to Malacanang to express their demand to return their 144-hectare ancestral land in San Vicente, Sumilao, Bukidnon. 

With God’s blessings, the Church, religious organizations, schools, Non-Government Organization (NGOs), People’s Organizations (POs), Local Government Units (LGUs), like minded groups and various individuals all over the country, immensely supported the Sumilao farmers’ cause.  They rallied behind the farmers in their march to Malacanang demanding justice for the Sumilao Farmers and for all peasants in the country.  The Sumilao farmers successfully regained their land.  Today, 162 Sumilao farmers are already cultivating a piece of land they can truly call their own.

The Sumilao experience is just one of the countless struggles of the peasant sector in Mindanao.  Sadly, however, most of the marginalized sectors in Mindanao are still under the cloaked of bondage from the soil as only a few landed individuals own the whole of our Mindanao. 

The Bolisong farmers in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental, who are Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) holders of the land, are being fooled by a prominent landowner in this city by placing chicken poultry farms on the land to shoo away the farmers from cultivating their land.  The farmers are now scavenging for food and for survival while the landowner enjoys the bounty of the farmers’ land.

The Talaandig communities in Miarayon, Bukidnon, who were already issued their Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT), are currently being evicted through guns and goons by a prominent landowner claiming that he owns the land as he has paid the Tax Declaration therein.  Further, in order to cause panic among the communities, the landowner filed a barrage of civil and criminal cases against the lumads.

The MAAS farmers of Davao del Sur are suffering from various sickness and diseases due to the indiscriminate aerial spraying of hazardous commercial chemicals on huge banana plantations in the same area where the farmers reside.  The farmers, including women and children, are now living in an atmosphere filled with insecticides, herbicides and pesticides.  The landowners jest that aerial spraying allows them to save more money for themselves.

These are but some of the numerous stories that the poor and marginalized sectors in Mindanao are currently experiencing: poor farmers who have neither access to nor control of the land; lumads who are being evicted from their ancestral lands; women and children who are being violated through the hazardous aerial spraying; huge forest lands are being devastated by mining and other exploration sites.

But with the recent success that the Sumilao farmers have demonstrated in their “Walk for Land, Walk for Justice” Campaign, there is still hope for the poor and the marginalized sectors in Mindanao.

Hence, there is a need for critical reforms in the country in order for the Social Justice principles in the 1987 Constitution shall be brought into fruition.  First and foremost is the immediate extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with significant reforms (CARPER) in order to benefit thousands of landless farmers in the country.  The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) should also be given more teeth in its implementation for the sake of the lumads in Mindanao.  The ancestral lands, timberlands, and other mineral resources of the country should also be protected from the harsh, and usually abrasive, effects of mining all over Mindanao, hence, the repeal of the Philippine Mining Act. 

Mass actions should be initiated in order to push for such reforms.  These and other reforms are but a few actions that we can do in order to give justice and peace especially to the poor and marginalized sectors.  Together we can build a better Mindanao.