Address poor sector’s concerns, gov’t urged

FARMERS who joined their counterparts under the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) urged the administration under President Rodrigo Duterte to address the concerns and needs of the poor sector.

KMP-Southern Mindanao chairperson Pedro Arnado said there is no significant change in the plight of the country's farmers. He claimed poverty worsened.

Arnado said nine out of the 10 farmers do not own the land they are tilling, while those elite and big multinational corporations own wide tracks of land.

"The foreign capitalists grabbed the people's land for profit and other selfish economic interests. They established plantations, ranches, mines and logging operations," Arnado said.

He added that the laws and government policies even promoted land grabbing and conversion, heightening the farmers and the people's struggle for genuine reform.

Arnado said no less than 150,000 hectares of land in Southern Mindanao have been allegedly grabbed by Dole, Sumifru, Del Monte and Unifrutti plantations, the Lorenzos, Floirendos, Dizons and Coangcos, among others.

"Poverty and hunger worsened due to high land rents and low prices of harvested crops brought about by monopoly of big businessmen and traders and price

hikes of basic agricultural implements such as fertilizers and oil," he said.

He also said that because of the poverty, the farmers are forced to transact loans with financiers and lending firms that imposes excessive interest rates.

Arnado said the wages of the agricultural workers are also at lowest, as they only received P120 to P200 per day while child laborers aged 1012 are paid P40 daily.

"Even the support of the government to farmers during calamities, such as flashfloods and drought, is also inactive and meager," Arnado said.

He added that militarization is still ongoing under the Duterte administration especially in areas where multinational corporations and businesses operate. ICT(For full story visit www.sunstar. com.ph/davao/)