Not illusion, but realization of dreams

Task Force Mapalad said on June 7 that the statement of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) that TFM is sacrificing the lives of farmers by making them believe that land reform can be realized through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program is unfortunate in the wake of growing incidents of agrarian-related killings all over the country.

“We are saddened that we are supposed to be organizations working for the betterment of the farmers yet they see us in a different light,” local TFM spokesperson said in response to statements of officials of the NFSW.

Days after the killing of two farmer-beneficiaries in Hacienda Velez-Malaga, an NFSW official said that while land is valuable, the lives of farmers should not be sacrificed. Another NFSW official said TFM is goading the farmers into occupying land in exchange for money from foreign-funding agencies.

“We have no illusion that CARP is a perfect program. It has its many defects, but we believe it is wrong to say that the farmers will gain nothing from it. On the contrary, despite the government’s lack of political will and the resistance of big landowners, it is the only program available at present that the farmers can use to assert their right to own land,” local TFM organizer Jerry Cahilig said.

Cahilig said that contrary to NFSW’s claim that the farmers are only given false hopes, TFM has made numerous successes that gave concrete reality to the farmers’ hopes to own land under CARP.

“In the cities of Talisay, Silay, Manapla, Cadiz , and Sagay, more than 2,800 hectares are currently being cultivated by more than 2,000 farmer beneficiaries. These lands are titled under their name,” he said.

“Once landless farmers have now become masters of their own destiny, I think that is not giving them illusions but actually making sure that they will realize their dreams,” Cahilig said.

Edna Sobrecaray, spokesperson of TFM Negros, said: “it is sad that instead of condemning Roberto ‘Bob’ Cuenca , the police, and the government for the murders of Ely Tupas and Alejandro Garcesa, NFSW deemed it fit to pick on us instead of those who are supposed to be held responsible for the continued oppression of the peasantry.”

Sobrecaray also said that it is unkind for NFSW to accuse TFM of sacrificing the lives of farmers for an alleged illusion.

“We assure the NFSW that the farmers have a mind of their own. They can clearly see if they are just being sacrificed for nothing. With all its years of experience in political struggle, NFSW should be the first to see that killings occur because of class resistance,” she said.

Cahilig added: “It is said that there are many ways to skin a cat. If NFSW wants to achieve land reform through other method, we respect it by all means. If they want CARP to be scrapped, we likewise respect that. What we want, on the other hand, is respect for our position and for the gains that we have achieved. We do not want to miss out on the many opportunities we see for the farmers under CARP just because it has lots of defects,” Cajilig said.

Sobrecaray further said: “CARP in itself is a political battleground. It is a way of educating the farmers in the struggle for land rights. When an administration fails to uphold their rights under CARP, then the farmers see concretely how morally bankrupt that administration is, and then they realize that they must strongly unite and wage a determined struggle for their rights. If we scrap CARP, it will make the big landowners very happy. We do not want to do that.”