By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – With the objective of defending a “paradise against destruction,” various groups formally launched Resist Apeco! Defend Aurora Movement, Sept. 6. Apeco stands for the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Free Port (Apeco) project that will cover almost 13,000 hectares of land in five villages of Cagisuran town. The…
Tags: AMGL
No land reform in Nueva Ecija

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“We all know that Nueva Ecija is the country’s rice granary but farmers still do not own the lands they till and worse, they are being displaced because farm lands are being converted.” – Joseph Canlas, AMGL chairman.
KMP insulted by government’s measly budget for farmers: P5 support per hectare of corn

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
“It is the farmers, without any meaningful support from the government, who principally worked for a bountiful harvest. Even the so-called budget for irrigation cannot be claimed as government support because we’re the ones paying the exorbitant irrigation fees. Now, because the the government is giving measly funds for the national rice and corn program, we seriously doubt that high harvest yields can continue.” – KMP
Aurora eco-zone project to displace thousands of farmers, fisherfolk

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“Development does not mean wiping out communities of farmers, fisherfolk and indigenous peoples.” – Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson
Sidebar:
Aurora govt officials sow disunity, fear among indigenous peoples, settlers to grab their lands
SC fails again to decide on Hacienda Luisita dispute

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“By not issuing any decision today, the Supreme Court prolongs the sufferings of farm workers and provides opportunity for the Cojuangco-Aquinos to maneuver.” – Lito Bais, president of the United Luisita Workers Union (Ulwu) said.
A first hand experience with Oplan Bayanihan

By RONALYN V. OLEA
The solidarity mission went to Pantabangan to document the conditions of the Igorot community who are being displaced from the land they have been tilling. The team did not expect that they would experience what the Igorots have to put up with in their struggle for land.
Sidebar: For two Igorot women, a constant struggle to survive
Igorot Leader Arrested in N. Ecija, Groups Decry Political Harassment
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – Various groups called for the immediate release of a leader of indigenous peoples who was recently arrested in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. Ernesto Bubod, 54, a Kalanguya-Igorot and vice chieftain of Sitio Maluyon, Brgy. Villarica, Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, was taken by five armed men in plainclothes who posed as…
After Hacienda Luisita, Cojuangco Family Claiming Former Military Camp Lands in Pangasinan

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
“The greed of the Cojuangco-Aquinos extends to Pangasinan. Now they are claiming that they own the lands that farmers have developed since the Spanish times,” said AMGL chairman Joseph Canlas.
CARP Lands in Tarlac City Being Claimed by Corporations

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
A farmers’ group believes that this is a case of landgrabbing and speculation in anticipation of and preparation for the construction of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx). The group said that as the market value of lands around the superhighways are expected to skyrocket, business firms are trying to takeover farmlands even if it meant displacing farmers.
Central Luzon Farmers Troop to Congress to Back GARB
Central Luzon farmers on Feb. 16 trooped to the House of Representatives to attend the Committee on Agrarian Reform’s public hearing of House Bill 374 or Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB).
CBCP’s National Rural Congress II: Battle Ground for Extension or Rejection of CARP
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines [CBCP] is affirming its commitment to support Filipino farmers through the holding of the Second National Rural Congress [NRC II], but a battle ground between pro and anti CARP advocates appears to have emerged in the process. BY ABNER BOLOS Gitnang Luson News Service Posted by Bulatlat Vol.…