WE ARE HUMANS, RESPECT OUR RIGHTS

Section 15 of the Philippine Constitution states that “The State shall respect the role of the independent people’s organization to enable the people to pursue and protect, within the democratic framework, their legitimate and collective interest and aspirations through peaceful and lawful means”.
Regrettably, civil and political liberties of human rights defenders and their organizations in the Philippines are constantly under attack resulting to extrajudicial executions, militarized rural and indigenous communities, a censored press, and restricted space for dissent and political participation that resulted to numerous cases of human rights violations since the Duterte regime and have persisted under the current government administration. Like his predecessors, President Marcos Jr. has brazenly allowed impunity to continue under his watch and has literally allowed perpetrators to get away with murder.

Cases and numbers of victims of human rights abuses are unfortunately expected to rise with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent approval and adoption of the National Security Plan (NSP) 2023-2028. The NSP is a problem for the HR defenders because it will heighten attacks on civil society organizations and people`s organizations, endangering their lives and security. The NSP will ultimately impede the liberty of the Filipino masses to defend and advance their civil and political rights.

“FARMERS FEED THOSE WHO KILL THEM”

The military continues to threaten and kill peasant leaders and members of people’s organizations who defend their right to till the lands and struggle for their basic rights. Most of them were killed based on unfounded accusations of being linked to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army(CPP-NPA) and were supposedly killed in armed encounters with the military.

On October 6, 2022, several farming communities were placed under lockdown after an encounter between the New People’s Army and the military troops. Yet even after the clash, the Philippine Army continued to fire indiscriminately using cannons and a helicopter mounted machine gun on rural villages, production areas and forest covers around the encounter site. Around 15,024 individuals ( roughly 3,543 families) were forced to evacuate and endure hunger, thirst and lack of sleeping facilities in cramped evacuation centers.

In May 2023 in Kabankalan City, a certain Sgt. Demateo of the Philippine Army summoned five farmer Organizations in their barangay and coerced the associations to declare severance from association with CPP-NPA insinuating that they are connected to the armed group. They were forced to sign a resolution denouncing the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA and their alleged front organizations. Leaders of these farmer associations were even warned of being arrested if they continue to lobby and organize mass actions as these are acts of terror. This statement is apparently a clear violation of the people’s freedom of expression. Similarly in 4 villages in the Municipality of Cauayan, six (6) People’s Organizations were also subjected to harassment, intimidation and red tagging by military troops. Association members were coerced into signing “surrender forms.” Government intelligence agencies and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) profiled and surveilled leaders and members of peoples organizations during their assemblies and incessantly badgered into disaffiliating from their organizations with a clear violation of the constitutional right to freedom of association and to peaceably assemble.

And on June 14, 2023, armed men believed to be elements of the Philippine Army stationed and operating in the Barangays of Kabankalan and Himamaylan City of Negros Occidental executed the killing of the Fausto family in cold blood. Roly Fausto (52), his wife Emelda Fausto (50) and their children, Ben (14) and Raven (11) sustained close-range gunshot wounds. Prior to their murder, the Fausto parents had been relentlessly red-tagged, and were subjected to physical and mental torture, grave coercion, and illegal searches.

OUR LIVES ARE AT STAKE

“Paghida-et sa Kauswagan” Development Group, Inc (PDG) is a registered non-government organization at the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) agency of the Philippine government. Since its inception in 1987, it has significantly contributed to the establishment of empowered and self-reliant communities actively campaigning for genuine land reform and promoting climate resilient ecosystems. PDG’s partner communities are likewise duly registered and are actively participating in local development programs in their respective Local Government Units (LGUs).
Yet despite being recognized and accredited by the government, PDG and its partner communities are tagged and accused of being “communist front organizations (CFO)” by the NTF-ELCAC (Local Task- Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict).

In the early part of 2018, a malicious tarpaulin with pictures of several individuals tagged as members of the communist terrorist group (CTG) was hanged in the area of Moises Padilla town, and the tarpaulin included a portrait of the late Atty Benjamin Ramos Jr. then Executive Director of PDG and his wife Clarisa Ramos. On November 6, 2018 a gunman on a motorcycle shot and killed Atty Ramos, to which until now, no arrest has been made. Two of those who were also maligned were also killed - Mr. Bernardino “Toto” Patigas in April 22, 2019 and Miss Zara Alvarez in August 17, 2020. Until now, PDG-workers are continuously vilified, surveilled and coerced. Members of the intelligence unit of the state forces threatened PDG-workers and their immediate families that if they would not cooperate , they would be arrested or may be killed in a raid.

BREAKING THE CHAINS OF OPPRESSION AND ATTACKS

For decades, PDG has viewed the world and society from the eyes of the progressive basic sectors. It affirms the analysis that the Philippine economy is agrarian, backward, export-oriented, import-dependent and remains in perpetual chronic crisis. The nightmare of poverty, discrimination and political repression is multiplied several fold by the continued anti-people, anti-democratic and anti-national policies and programs of the government. This is more visible in the countryside and aggravated by government neglect and total war campaigns. In this situation, the very existence of PDG and its partner communities are in constant danger as we all become immediate suspects as rebel fronts or instruments and subject to harassment and attacks.

Yet we stand to pursue our task of helping build and expand the power of the basic sectors. We continue to work with 34 Farmers and Fisherfolks Organizations based in central and southern Negros Occidental. We continue to develop local community organizers to help form new expansion communities. We provide capacity building for women in holding leadership roles in organizations, in food production, and participation in community mobilizations. We continue to assist in providing skills training to youths on advocacy works and facilitate youth participation in agro-ecology undertakings.

“Self-reliance” is a sentiment that cries from the deepest of this oppressive and exploitative situation. It is also a principle that resides in the very heart of the people’s organizations of harnessing their collective strength and collective struggle to achieve liberation. The people are the makers of history, and have but to rely first and foremost in their every endeavor as the first step to self and social liberation process. Based on this recognition, PDG helped establish an alternative enterprise (Kalibutan Society) as an economic arm of its partner communities. It acts as a processing and trading facility for people’s organizations by providing them with fair value of their produce thereby generating income to alleviate household economic conditions. In addition, it continues to provide technical support to POs on sustainable farming, financial management. and management of communal projects of 16 partner communities.

“Land to the tillers” have been the battle cry of the oppressed and exploited sectors of society. PDG responded by committing itself wholly and fully on its core program of organizing, educating, mobilizing and expanding the basic sectors movement. It has provided guidance to leading campaign structures like September 21 Movement, Defend Patrimony South Negros, and Sugarcane Farmworkers Alliance. PDG continues to provide legal and paralegal services to peasant organizations who need it the most. It facilitates timely and effective support services to local mass struggles and issues of the basic sectors.

WE WILL NOT YIELD, COLLECTIVELY WE HOLD THE POWER

Despite a frustrating number of human rights abuses, human rights advocates and food defenders have not cowered in fear. Like many social movements in the Philippines, PDG and its partner communities who actively uphold people’s rights and welfare, will remain to be an “eyesore” to a fascist government.

Yet amidst this extreme hostile setting, we will continue to campaign against attempts to limit the democratic space by engaging with duty bearers for accountability and policy reforms and to promote people’s rights.
We will tirelessly continue to expose these atrocities perpetrated by the state forces and appeal to the public to join us in calling for the repeal of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

We are seeking the support of the international community to remain steadfast in their support to the Filipino struggle for justice, human rights and peace. Likewise, to continue to extend all kinds of support to PDG and its partner communities so that we will be able to continue to serve the masses in our unrelenting pursuit for peace and genuine development.

We know that the road ahead is long and arduous, the fight for justice and peace will be very high and steep, but, by our collective power and with the strong support of the international community, we will get there. Surely, the Filipino people will soon be liberated and will claim back their human dignity and freedom which has long been denied them by a government who is supposed to serve its people.

This article is released as a part of the Beet The system ! annual magazine of the food sovereignty movement edited by FIAN Belgium. More info on previous releases can be found here

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