Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas ANG Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo English edition Vol. XXXIX No. 24 December 21, 2008 www.philippinerevolution.net Editorial CARP extension is even more pointless he Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program CARP the Arroyos’ vast sugarcane plantations in Neg- (CARP) is a bogus program. In its 20 years of im- ros which they intend to use for bio-ethanol produc- Tplementation, vast tracts of land remained in the tion. As a consequence, the Department of Agrarian hands of a few. CARP paved the way, not for the Reform will also be swamped with countless applica- emancipation of the peasant masses, but for greater tions for land-use conversion and other pretexts to reconcentration of land ownership in the hands of big exempt lands from CARP coverage. landlords of the old and new type. It has condemned The reformists peddle illusions when they push for the peasants to greater misery and oppression, and “CARP extension with reforms.” They give false hopes aggravated their suffering through its parallel imple- to the peasant masses that there is profit to be mentation of pro-imperialist agricultural liberaliza- gained from CARP, that the farmers’ salvation lies in tion. Malacañang officials have further profited from what has been proven to be a bogus and pro-landlord the bogus program by appropriating CARP funds. program, and that their emancipation will emanate The peasant masses gained nothing throughout from a Congress dominated by big hacienda owners. the course of its implementation. Thus, the six-month The progressive lawmakers who have been push- extension of this sham land reform program will be of ing for the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) have even less use to them. Congress’ only reason for call- a better grasp of such reality. GARB, which is decid- ing for its extension is to further raid its remaining edly different, pushes for free land distribution. And funds purportedly allocated unlike CARP, GARB has provisions that for “agricultural services.” will ensure that lands distributed to The Congress resolu- farmers could no longer be taken tion calling for CARP to away from them by big land- cover only those lands vo- lords. luntarily ceded by landown- If reforming the sham ers is downright ridiculous. CARP is hopeless, however, It completely exempts it will be even more diffi- lands by big landlords who cult for GARB to be ratifi- refuse to be covered by ed by a landlord-dominat- CARP. ed legislature. GARB’s victory will No less than Gloria Arro- come not so much from its passage, yo’s congressman son Mikey but in its raising before the greater led the House of Representa- public the peasantry’s urgent demand tives in further emasculating for land to till, its condemnation of CARP. Malacañang’s ultimate feudal and semifeudal oppression in objective is to exempt from the countryside and its exposé of the This issue’s Anti-“cha-cha” UNHRC rebukes CPP declares holiday campaign advances Arroyo regime ceasefire highlights... PAGE 3 PAGE 6 PAGE 10 antipeasant and antipeople legislature and the rotten productivity. In areas where the revolutionary move- reactionary ruling state and system in the country. ment is more advanced and the reactionary armed for- Addressing the peasantry’s land problem is the ces have been weakened over an extensive area, the main content of the people’s democratic revolution. revolutionary forces implement components of the In the countryside where the seeds of the new demo- maximum program of agrarian revolution that it is ca- cratic revolutionary movement have been planted and pable of effecting. These include confiscating the continue to grow, agrarian revolution is advanced step lands of despotic landlords as well as lands abandoned by step alongside waging armed struggle and estab- by big landlords, nationalizing these lands and grant- lishing revolutionary power. The reactionary power of ing peasants who are landless or who do not have the landlord class and its allies is demolished piece by enough land the right to till these lands. piece, thus paving the way for building people’s dem- In areas where agrarian revolution and the new ocratic power. democratic revolution have gained ground, the eradi- The minimum program of agrarian revolution is cation of feudalism and semifeudalism is not a pipe implemented in the initial stages. Among its compo- dream but a concrete victory of the revolutionary nents are the reduction of land rent, elimination of struggle waged by the peasant masses. The feudal and usury, raising of farm workers’ wages, effecting rea- semifeudal oppression suffered by the peasantry will sonable increases in farm gate prices, implementing only be thoroughly eradicated upon the absolute vic- simple forms of cooperation and raising the peasants’ tory of the new democratic revolution. ~ Land reconcentration in Cagayan Valley and reconcentration in the are largely guarantors in the barrios. rich peasants and some upper mid- hands of landlords of the new The merchant-usurers themselves dle peasants) aggravate the farmers’ Ltype is intensifying in Cagayan promote crop varieties that are indebtedness by imposing a 5 to Valley. Peasant lands are being fo- heavily dependent on expensive fer- 15% compounded interest per har- reclosed and farmers forced to sell tilizers and pesticides, exact exorbi- vest. The heavily indebted farmers their lands for failing to pay their tant land rent and sell expensive are then obliged to have their pro- debts. farm inputs while pressing down the ducts threshed and transported by Big merchant-usurers compete prices of the farmers’ products. the guarantors and to work on the with each other in seizing farmers’ Small usurers as represented by latter’s lands. lands, including small lenders who guarantors in the barrios (usually As a result, lands of both middle and poor peasants are being ANG confiscated alongside that of farm- Contents ers covered by PD 27, CARP and the Editorial 1 reactionary government’s ste- Vol. XXXIX No. 24 December 21, 2008 Land reconcentration in wardship program. In Isabela, the Cagayan Valley 2 government continues to revoke Ang Bayan is published in Pilipino, Land grabbing 3 CLOAs held by farmer beneficiaries Bisaya, Iloko, Hiligaynon, Waray and Anti-“cha-cha” campaign advances 3 English editions. from the 13,085-hectare Hacienda It is available for downloading at Regional protests 4 San Antonio-Santa Isabel in a the Philippine Revolution Web Central OBL2 is a failure in Quezon 5 process that began in 2007 to give Fascist state on a rampage located at: way to San Miguel Corporation’s www.philippinerevolution.net. UNHRC rebukes Arroyo regime 6 Ang Bayan welcomes contributions Protect human rights defenders! 7 cassava plantation project. in the form of articles and news. Rea- Arroyo not interested in peace talks 9 Government projects and those ders are likewise enjoined to send in CPP declares holiday ceasefire 10 of conniving land grabbers and the their comments and suggestions for AFP endangers prisoners of war 10 exploitative elite are fertile ground the betterment of our publication. You Victorious NPA offensives for peasant struggles. The peasant can reach us by email at: [email protected] NPA military actions 10 masses in Cagayan Valley persist in News 11 their struggle to assert their right Ang Bayan is published fortnightly by the Central Committee to the land from which they derive of the Communist Party of the Philippines their livelihood. ~ 2 ANG BAYAN December 21, 2008 In Cagayan province, the Land grabbing towns of Gattaran and Al- he seizure of peasant lands in lacapan are being eyed for TCagayan Valley continues to sugarcane plantations un- worsen as a result of the latest an- der contract-farming agree- tipeople projects of the reactionary ments with Pampanga Indus- government and foreign corpora- trial Park Inc. The su- tions. garcane will be used for etha- Agribusiness and mining nol production. town). As a result of the projects. In Isabela province, cas- Meanwhile, in southern Isabela construction of a pier in Sta. Ana sava planting has been temporarily and Quirino province, the local gov- under the Enrile family’s Cagayan suspended due to the people’s ernments are pushing for the cul- Export Zone Authority, quarrying strong opposition. However, there tivation of cassava in smaller operations have further expanded, are new projects that will likewise parcels of lands under the auspices destroying the land where farmers involve widespread landgrabbing. of so-called farmers’ cooperatives. eke their livelihood. Likewise, peas- In San Mariano, Green Future Such cooperatives have already ants are being forced to sell their Innovations, Inc., which is owned been set up by Rep. Faustino “Bo- lands for `11,000 per hectare to by a Japanese-Filipino company jie” Dy III and Mayor Edgar Guyud give way to an airport being con- that manufactures ethanol plans to in San Guillermo town. Mayor Virgi- structed in the same town. plant sugarcane on 6,000 to lio Padilla of San Agustin has been Government “development 35,000 hectares of land in the ba- campaigning for cassava cultivation projects”. Also currently being rangays of Panninan, Binatug, Ali- in some barrios of his town, as has pushed for implementation in the badabad, Dipusu and Libertad. The- Gov. Dakila “Dax” Cua of Quirino. region are livelihood projects that se so-called idle lands as defined Mining companies have also are destructive to the environment by the reactionary government seized about a hundred thousand and a bane to thousands of people. have actually been tilled by farm- hectares of land. In Isabela alone, In Isabela, an entire Agta com- ers for decades. Some barangays in mining applications cover as much munity is being threatened with the towns of Ilagan and Benito So- as 45,151 hectares and this is sure eviction due to the impending liven are also set to be planted to displace thousands of Isabelinos construction of a dam in San Mari- with sugarcane.