MANILA – Peasant rights watchdog Tanggol Magsasaka issued a stern warning against partylist groups and nominees who “exploit the struggles and aspirations of farmers.”
“This is not just electoral fraud. This is political identity theft on a national scale,” said Ronnie Manalo, spokesperson of Tanggol Magsasaka. “When dynasties and landlords pose as defenders of rural-based sectors, they rob farmers not just of their votes, but of their rightful voice in shaping policies — perpetuating a cycle of oppression and exclusion.”
Among the partylist groups they flagged for posing as “pro-farmer advocates yet driven by elite interests” are the following:
- Magsasaka Partylist
“Plagued by internal disputes and questionable nominees, including former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Debold Sinas, linked to multiple peasant massacres and human rights abuses,” said Tanggol Magsasaka.
In 2019, Sinas was at the helm of Oplan Sauron, a counterinsurgency program which resulted in the caused extrajudicial killings of civilians, of whom many were farmers. It stemmed from Memorandum Order No. 32 of former president Rodrigo Duterte and enforced in November 2018 to suppress “lawless violence in the provinces of Samar, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and the Bicol Region.”
- Abono Partylist
Currently, Abono Partylist has one seat in the House of Representatives, but they have been in Congress since 2007. Their incumbent representative is Conrado Estrella III, who has been appointed as the Agrarian Reform Secretary by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
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Tanggol Magsasaka flagged the partylist because it is “controlled by the Estrella dynasty of Pangasinan, implicated in the pork barrel scam.”
In 2013, Estrella was among the 23 representatives linked to the pork barrel scam. In addition to this, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed charges in August 2015 against Estrella and his brother for malversation, direct bribery, and other violations of anti-corruption laws before the Office of the Ombudsman.
That same year, the Commission on Audit (COA) issued multiple notices of disallowance against Estrella concerning the alleged misuse of ?64 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which had been allocated to questionable livelihood projects in Pangasinan through suspect non-governmental organizations. However, in 2018, the commission cleared him of any liability after a court ruled that the signatures on the documents authorizing the transactions had been forged.
- Agri Partylist
Meanwhile, the Agri Partylist has been flagged because it is “dominated by the Lee family, corporate magnates behind the LKY Group of Companies.”
Last year, the fisherfolks group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya (PAMALAKAYA) accused the LKY Group of Companies, owned by Agri-Partylist representative and senatorial nominee Wilbert Lee, of engaging in land-grabbing and harassment in Gubat, Sorsogon on November 1.
Community organization Save Gubat Bay Movement (SGBM) reported that LKY personnel allegedly destroyed the fence of a communal garden managed by fisherfolk residents, even threatening to kill two of the residents. The company is reportedly claiming 2.5 hectares of land in the said village.
- Angat Partylist
Angat Partylist is led by the Tamayo-Jimenea, which has been identified by Tanggol Magsasaka as a political dynasty in South Cotabato, with “direct ties to Marcos Jr.’s political party.”
Ghizelle Jean S. Tamayo-Jiminea is their first nominee. Meanwhile, the incumbent representative Reynaldo S. Tamayo is their fourth nominee. His son, Reynaldo Jr., is the incumbent governor of South Cotabato and the president of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the political party of Marcos Jr.
Lastly, the seventh nominee is Milagros S. Tamayo, wife of the incumbent representative and mother of the incumbent governor.
“Every election cycle, farmers — the backbone of our nation and the poorest of the poor — are deceived by wolves in farmers’ clothing,” said Manalo in a statement. “This year is no different — and perhaps even worse.”
The same partylist groups have been flagged by election watchdog Kontra Daya in their study released earlier this year. Around 55 percent of the party-list groups participating in the 2025 elections are linked to political dynasties, big businesses, police and military links, corruption, and dubious advocacy.
“The party-list system, which is supposed to protect the marginalized, ends up marginalizing the already marginalized,” said Kontra Daya convener Danilo Arao in the earlier report of Bulatlat.
“If we want real change, we must ensure that genuine peasants and advocates — not landlords and generals — speak for farmers in Congress,” Manalo said, calling on voters to be critical and reject in selecting candidates who exploit farmers’ names for personal and political gain. (RTS, RVO)
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