On June 9, 2022, at least 93 farmers, journalists, and peasant rights advocates including human rights workers and artists were arrested by the Philippine National Police in Barangay Tinang, Concepcion, Tarlac, Philippines.
They were arrested while protesting the continued non-fulfilment of a land claim approved in 1998 by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP)’s Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). In other words, these peasant farmers and their supporters are being punished for demanding land that they were promised by the GRP 25 years ago.
CPSO condemns these arrests completely. We support the rights of the struggling peasants of Brgy. Tinang to fight for and win their land. We support the call of KARAPATAN Human Rights Alliance for the immediate dropping of charges and release of detainees.
More info: KARAPATAN
Around this, we recognize the problem of land in the Philippines in general.
Genuine land reform in the Philippines would undermine the interests of Philippine monopoly landlords who profit from exploiting peasants.
Genuine land reform would undermine the sellout-capitalists who profit from exporting raw goods.
Genuine land reform would undermine the foreign capitalists who profit from importing them cheaply.
And genuine land reform would undermine the big bureaucrats who profit from their corrupt mis-operation of this whole system.
No part of this system is in service of the peasant majority in the Philippines. No part of this system could possibly enact a genuine land reform.
We support the struggle in the Philippines for genuine land reform. We support the struggle for a new system!