Letter to the editors

RECENTLY, I was able to attend an event that offers youth the chance to become legislators of the country through a simulation activity. And from there, I realized something.

To be a legislator is not an easy task. There would always be contentions and arguments on what bills would better suit the needs of the people. But debating over what bill should be prioritized to be passed in the Senate is not enough. If you don’t understand and become part of the plight of the masses and their sacrifices to demand for their rights, the bills proposed would be useless.

In this country of ours where there is a continuous increase of price on basic commodities, utilities, and services due to Train Law, and at the same time large mining corporations, plantations, and private businesses under the Build, Build, Build program are aggressively operating on different regions, our aspiration to create bills that would solve the problems in the Philippines would not compensate the damages these cost to the marginalized sectors.

Until now, various human rights violations in the form of illegal arrests and detentions, forced surrender, torture, and red tagging occur.

According to Karapatan, 124 farmers alone have been reportedly killed, 21 of those are peasant women. Military occupation in the rural areas are still continuing. What’s worse, some communities are even bombed. As a result, many people evacuate from their homes, risking their safety and security.

Thousands of farmers also lose their livelihood due to land grabbing and land conversion perpetrated by landlords to pave way for mining, plantations, and other profitable businesses by the private sector and foreign investors. This is clearly a violation on farmers especially on their right to livelihood, development, and land tenure.

These kinds of misery that the masses experience presently creates an impact not only on their socio-economic stability, but also in their psychological well-being. Just imagine a child who witnessed bombing or land grabbing in their community, and would later experience evacuation,

food shortage, lack of decent housing, and lack of security and safety. What will the child think about life and living? What would that experience make him/her in the future? Even more, men, women, elderly, and persons with disability, among others also experience trauma in situations like this.

State fascism and feudalism persist. It is real and it is happening. But we can combat it. Our collective action to reclaim our rights for a dignified life will happen if we all unite towards this goal.

One thing we can do is to support the resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and National Democratic Front (NDF) in order to discuss matters on socio-economic reforms especially on addressing the need for free land distribution for farmers through the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (Caser). It is also important that we recognize and support the participation of peasant women in the fight for land.

On June 8, let us join the farmers in their demand for a genuine agrarian reform together with other groups supporting and fighting for farmers’ rights. It is also high time to address our resistance on human rights violation. In these trying times, let us be more united against a tyrannical dictatorship of the current administration.

Sarryna Gesite

gesitesarryna@gmail.com

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