THE Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) yesterday urged
Congress to conduct another probe, this time on the recent agricultural
agreements between the Philippines and China as well as the biofuels law which
they claimed might be used by the family of President Arroyo to protect the
Arroyos' 157-hectare farm in Negros Occidental from coverage by the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
"It is obvious that the Arroyos are trying to protect their
land using the RP-China agricultural agreements and the Biofuels Act. These
agreements and law are actually inimical to genuine land reform and would result
to more landlessness because it would at least give two million hectares to the
Chinese and would displace at least 1.5 million farmers," KMP chairman Rafael
Mariano said.
Mariano said the Arroyos' Negros farm called Hacienda Bacan
will be planted to biofuel crops.
"What is ironic is that this scheme is in conjunction with
the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and is the essence of what Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo meant in reforming agrarian reform and making farmers agri-businessmen
in her last State of the Nation Address," Mariano said.
He claimed the Arroyos are making it appear that the land is
owned by Rivulet Agro-Industrial Corp. when they are its actual owners. He also
said the farm, having been foreclosed by the local government, is ready for
distribution to farmers. But, he added, the Arroyos are claiming the land will
be used for an ethanol plant and being classified as commercial/industrial is
thus exempted from distribution under CARP.
"By extending CARP, the regime is essentially pushing for
more landlessness. So we are totally against this and we are for genuine
agrarian reform," Mariano said.
The RP-China Agricultural Agreements which the KMP claims are
anti-peasant in nature are the following: the MOA allowing the Fu Hua Co. of
China to invest some US$ 3.83 billion in 1 million hectares of land in the
Philippines for the cultivation of hybrid corn, hybrid rice and hybrid sorghum;
the MOA with the Agricultural Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for
the development of an initial 40,000 hectares of agribusiness lands for cassava
and sugar for ethanol production for China 's domestic consumption; the
Beidahung projects involving the development of 200,000 hectares of land in the
North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle for the identification of potential sites
for agri-tourism and organic food growing; and the setting up of a modern farm
production facility and the establishment of a bio-chemical facility.
Mariano said allowing foreign corporations to lease hectares of lands here
violates the limits imposed by the Constitution, and said agreements will
involve at least 1.5 million hectares which will displace more farmers. "All
these schemes are anathema to the state's duty to improve the lives of its
citizens and to provide social justice. The RP-China agreements are a mockery of
genuine land reform and a complete sell out of the Philippines, therefore they
must be junked. We also demand a written proof of its cancellation," Mariano
said. - Job T. Realubit
