Bulatlat.com

Outstanding, insightful, honest coverage...

Guingona: Constitutional Assembly is a Threat to Peasant Land Rights
Labor militants say Danding’s bid for presidency will fail

Vice President Teofisto Guingona last week said the country's national patrimony was under siege following his partymates' move in Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) to amend the 1987 Constitution through a constituent assembly or Con-Ass.

BY GERRY ALBERT CORPUZ
Bulatlat.com

Guingona warned that the legislative agenda would disenfranchise millions of farmers, fisherfolk, rural and urban people if the constitutional mantle protecting national patrimony is removed from the 16-year old Charter.

A staunch nationalist who resigned from his foreign affairs post over the presence of U.S. troops in the country, Guingona said foreign interests and entities are demanding to have the right to own and exploit lands.

Militant and moderate groups supporting Guingona's position said the assault on national patrimony was clothed in the move to convene the two chambers of Congress into a unicameral body and push for a Constitutional provision allowing 100 percent foreign ownership of land.

Reports said the World Bank recently asked for the removal of constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership of land. The same was echoed by U.S. investors in the Philippines and was officially endorsed by U.S. Ambassador to Manila Francis Ricciardone last month.

Another report said Japanese investors were also interested in owning lands and had complained against the 40% limit in foreign ownership in businesses and industries. They claim that constitutional restrictions had adversely affected the entry of Japanese investments in the country.

The European Union likewise asked the Macapagal-Arroyo administration to allow its nationals and business clients to own land here.

Tailor-made for market-oriented land reform

Peasant activists from the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP- Peasant Movement of the Philippines) said the proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution was part of the grandiose plot to re-align the bogus Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to the needs of " free market globalization".

"A program tailor-made for market-oriented land reform program" was how KMP described the alleged scheme by charter change proponents in a statement faxed to Bulatlat.com.

In an interview, Rafael Mariano, KMP chair and also president of the worker-peasant group Anakpawis (toiling masses) said convening a Constitutional Assembly (Con-Ass) was part of the mechanism to fast-track the corporate takeover of farmlands from the hands of struggling peasants to landed monopolies, local or foreign.

"Ms. Macapagal's CARP is practically a corporate agrarian reform program attuned to serve the interests of big landlords and agri-corporations with the U.S. as principal beneficiary," he said. Mariano asserted that Charter change in whatever mode would open up vast tracts of land intended for production of crops for export.

The activist church group Promotion of Church People's Response (PCPR) echoed Mariano's view on the proposed sell-out of lands to foreign interests.

"The lack of genuine land reform, sovereignty and economic progress under the Macapagal-Arroyo administration has placed millions of landless peasants to centuries-old problem of landlessness and social injustice," PCPR said. It said proponents would further re-concentrate huge tracts of land to foreign powers at the expense of peasants' land rights.

Truckloads of endorsement

Meanwhile, KMP vowed to frustrate Macapagal-Arroyo's bid to rule beyond 2004 through the national elections next year. KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos said a massive campaign against the presidential ambition of Macapagal-Arroyo will be launched once she changes her mind and go for an extension of her term either through the 2004 presidential elections or Con-Ass.

"We will reject an extension of the Macapagal-Arroyo presidency through the ballots, in the streets and in the battle over public opinion," Ramos told Bulatlat.com. "Even if truckloads of endorsement from the U.S., big landlords and corporate giants flood in support of Macapagal-Arroyo, she would not get
the peasants' decisive votes."

”The Macapagal-Arroyo government’s denial of peasants land rights and increasing political repression against the ranks of Filipino farmers and rural people would make her a sure loser in 2004 elections," the KMP added.

Around 5,000 peasant activists from Cordillera, Cagayan Valley and Ilocos regions, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog provinces went to Manila last June 10 and staged a protest at the Mendiola Bridge to declare the 15th “death anniversary” of the government’s land reform program.

KMP said its affiliates also staged protests in Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Aurora in Central Luzon, Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon in Bicol region, Tacloban City, Borongan in Eastern Samar, Catbalogan City in Western Samar, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Bacolod City, Butuan City, General Santos City, Davao City, Misamis Occidental, Prosperidad, Agusan Sur ad Tandag, Surigao sur.

Danding, too

Meanwhile, militant workers belonging to Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU- May First Movement) declared "war" against business tycoon and former Marcos ally Eduardo "Danding' Cojuangco Jr.

At the anti-CARP rally, KMU national chair Elmer Labog said that although Cojuangco continues to stir promotion of his intent to run in the 2004 presidential elections, this will not hold back workers and farmers from protesting against him and exposing his exploitative and oppressive acts against thousands of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) employees and farmers in Isabela and Negros.

"Danding's lingering play with economic and political power must end. His role as a crony helped a great deal in the rise to power of oppressive and corrupt administrations. He placed himself well during the reign of ex-presidents Marcos and Estrada," Labog said.

Labog said Cojuangco's political flirtation with Macapagal-Arroyo enabled him to regain control of the largest food and beverage company.

“From an avid political campaign fund contributor to an influential Malacanañg guest, he made himself an insider in the local politics. He already tried his luck during the 1992 elections but he lost. Now, he's trying again, but we won't let him succeed," the labor leader said.

Labog said militant workers, like KMP, will oppose and frustrate Macapagal-Arroyo’s and Cojuangco's presidential bids. He said their defeat in 2004 shall be part of a “class revolt” against their oppressors.

"Cojuangco's track record as a scheming, ruthless bureaucrat capitalist and landlord is already enough to prove that he would not do good as president. He is bent on getting into politics to advance his personal concerns, which is to protect and expand his business interests," the KMU chair added.

The People Asia magazine last May quoted Cojuangco saying "not even three million signatures asking him to run for president would persuade him to take on the torch." But he also said that he is not closing his doors. Bulatlat.com