October 2007

Cagayan de Oro city – Ten years ago, the farmers of Sumilao, Bukidnon staged an unprecedented 28-day hunger strike that has claimed the life of one of their members and caused lifelong ailments to others.

The protest hugged the headlines and forced the government to forge a “win-win” solution to the farmer’s woes involving 144-hectares of disputed land then owned by the influential Quisumbing clan. But the solution was apparently cosmetic. In 2004, the Quisumbings filed a petition to convert the land as agro-industrial estate. This was upheld by the Department of Agrarian Reform.

The farmers sought the help of Malacanang and filed a motion for reconsideration. On October 3 this year, Malacanang junked the motion and killed the hope of the farmers for a legal solution to the problem.

“Now we are employing active non-violence to fight for our cause,” says Jun Gallego, team leader of the group of farmers who have begun a 600-mile walk from Sumilao, Bukidnon to Malacanang last October 9.

“So far, we have been walking for five days covering 130 kilometers. We still have 1,300 kilometers of walking to do so we reserve our strength, we don’t overstretch our body,” said Gallego. He said the marchers are doing fine but some have complained of foot blisters as most of the farmers are not used to walking on paved road.

He said that the farmers are motivated by the show of support they get from the church, people’s organizations and even ordinary folks. “In Guinobatan, for example, we were welcomed by the mayor himself who allowed us to use the municipal gymnasium as resting area. Along the way, people gave free water, candies and coffee to the marchers,” said Gallego.

The farmers plan to personally bring a petition letter to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asking for the revocation of the conversion order and seeking for the extension of CARP.

Atty. Normina Batula, co-director of BALAOD Mindanaw, a group of legal advocates helping the Sumilao farmers, cites the need to reform the CARP if ever it will be extended. “This is the only way we can avoid such cases as the Sumilao, where the landlords go around the law and get away with it,” she says. She lauds the determination of the farmers to get their land back. “It is their right to make use of extra-legal means. There is no law preventing anyone to walk the roads,” she says.

A group of Asian lawyers from the Alternative Law Groups briefly joined the marchers yesterday in Misamis Oriental and walked for eight kilometers. They said they were inspired by the tenacity of the farmers and hoped that this can also be done in Burma.  

Cagayan de Oro City – Instead of canons and mortars, Muslims and Christians at the opposite side of Mindanao prefer to fight it out with golf clubs.

A Muslim-Christian friendship golf tournament has been organized by prominent Muslim and Christian figures in Northern Mindanao on September 7,8 and 9 at the famous Pueblo Golf and Country Club here.

Police Senior Supt. Amerodin Hamdag said the event is meant to highlight the friendly relations between Muslims and Christians. He said more than fifteen prominent Muslim personalities sponsored the tournament, among them Agrarian secretary Nasser Pangandaman, Southern Philippines Dev’t. Authority chair Zamzamin Ampatuan and the governors of Sultan Kudarat, Tawi-tawi, Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte.

Vice President Noli de Castro leads the ceremonial tee-off and has also signified his participation in the games.

“This will show that Muslims and Christians are living peacefully together. Here we are all brothers and sisters,” said Hamdag. He stressed that this tournament is only the beginning of more meaningful events that will nurture the relationship between Muslims and Christians.

Max Sino, co-organizer of the tournament, said the proceeds will be used to set-up a new Muslim-Christian foundation. “The foundation will work on ways to make the ties between Muslims and Christians stronger,” he said.

More than 200 players are expected to join the event which is open to both professional and amateur players. “Almost 30% of the players are Muslims coming from all over Mindanao. They are really happy that the participation of Muslims in a game of golf is highlighted because this is the first time this will happen,” said Hamdag.        

October 2007 

Cagayan de Oro city – To the cheers of around 500 delegates attending the 4th National Rubber Congress here, the Department of Agriculture announced that rubber farmers and plantation owners can avail of up to P13 million in loans without collateral to boost  rubber production.

Through the DA’s Agricultural Competitive Enhancement Program (ACEP), the loan program aims to provide farmers with sufficient funds to procure or develop facilities, equipment and infrastructure. While the loan has zero interest and collateral, the farmers are required to provide equity such as land, operational costs and farm inputs. The loan is payable in six years, with one grace period.

The loan program is part of the government’s campaign to develop the local rubber industry given its dismal performance in the agricultural sector. According to Arturo Sanvictores, president of the United Rubber Planters in region 10, the growing domestic and global demand for natural rubber and increasing price of rubber in the world market should encourage even small farmers to go into rubber farming.

“If we can hurdle the challenges, such as identification of potential areas suitable for rubber and construction of farm to market roads, there is a chance that we can regain our position as one of Asia’s big rubber producers,” said Sanvictores.

The objective of the national rubber development program is to increase Philippine rubber production from 81,925 hectares in 2005 to 1 million hectares in 2020.

Research conducted by the DA identified the areas that are good for rubber planting, as follows: Sultan Kudarat, Isabela, Maguindanao, Benguet, Camarines Sur, Palawan, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Mindoro Occidental and Antique.  

October 2007

Mambajao, Camiguin Island—Known for its beautiful coastlines and rich marine resources, Camiguin now also holds its stature as one of the first provinces to institutionalize a comprehensive coastal resource management program.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the provincial government of Camiguin for the implementation of a 5-year integrated coastal resource management system in 40 coastal barangays and five municipalities of the province.

Governor Jose Romualdo said the 5-year project will be funded by the New Zealand Agency for International Aid (NZAid) which he lobbied for years as a congressman of the province. “We have been waiting for this project. The New Zealand government will be helping us preserve Camiguin,” Romualdo told the Inquirer.

 NZAid has committed P116 million for the project, which includes, among others, the granting of livelihood enterprises for small fishermen living in the coastal communities of the island.

“It will be a comprehensive coastal resource management system. Besides livelihood projects, we will also implement regular coastal clean-ups and mangrove reforestation,” said Romualdo.

The project, as stated in the MOA, aims to institutionalize and sustain an integrated coastal resource management system in Camiguin to increase natural productivity and enhance the integrity of the coastal ecosystems while providing sustainable economic activities towards improved quality of life among the Camiguinons.

One of the components of the project is strengthening the capacity of Camiguin coastal communities and other concerned local government units to protect and manage the municipal waters and the limited productive nearshore ecosystems and their resources.

An estimated 10,378 households in the island stands to benefit from the project. As of 2004, there were 14,826 households in Camiguin, with 40% of coastal households and 30% among upland households engaged in fishing activities.

Other agencies that signed the MOA were the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Tourism, the National Economic and Dev’t Authority and Camiguin Polytechnic State College.

Hundreds of tourists, both foreign and domestic, travel to Camiguin all year for its world-class diving sites and volcanic springs.

October 2007 

Cagayan de Oro City – An alliance of health advocates here is calling for stronger measures to ensure that the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are prevented and controlled.

The call was made amidst reports that rising cases of human trafficking and prostitution remains unabated in Mindanao.

The Alliance against AIDS in Mindanao (Alagad) has asked city legislators to pass an ordinance and implementing rules for the creation of an AIDS council that will focus on measures for awareness building among stakeholders and capacitating medical workers on dealing with HIV/AIDS cases.

“There is already an existing AIDS law, the Republic Act 8504, but this has not been implemented locally,” said Honey Mabaylan, Alagad project staff. “We need to have enough safeguards to ensure that AIDS is controlled. This can be done by giving the person with AIDS enough assurance to submit to voluntary testing and ensure that treatment, care and support are given to them,” she said.

Jana Gerold of the Center for International Migration also said medical personnel should be capacitated to deal with HIV/AIDS cases. “The confidentiality of the case should never be broken, that is very important to protect the person with AIDS. This will encourage others to come out. Reported cases will rise if these are handled well,” she said.

A report of the Populations Services Pilipinas revealed that in Mindanao, there are presently 87 reported cases of HIV/AIDS and described the status of the epidemic as ‘hidden and growing.’

Cagayan de Oro city councilor Dante Pajo said he will respond to the call of Alagad by requesting the mayor to reconvene the AIDS council. “There is actually an ordinance passed in 2004 in adherence to RA 8504, but the council was never convened,” Pajo told the Inquirer. He said the said body will be composed of the department of health, academe and other stakeholders.

Part of the function of Alagad is to inform and educate people who are more exposed or vulnerable to unprotected sex, among them the youth, mobile workers, OFW’s, and prostitutes.