SOME 2,000 lumads, farmers, and peasants from different areas in Mindanao arrived in Davao City and camped at Rizal Park corner Bolton and San Pedro Street to demand food, land, and justice from the National Government.
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in Southern Mindanao chair Pedro Arnado, in an interview, said the protesters came all the way from Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental and North Cotabato.
Arnado said the move aims to raise the issues concerning the Filipino lumads, farmers and peasants particularly in defending and reclaiming their lands and people, their aspiration for genuine agrarian reform, and national progress.
The protesters will end their four-day “Kampuhan” on Friday. In view of this, the KMP with Bagong Alyansa ng Makabayan will hold several activities.
The protesters conducted a peace caravan from Rizal Park to Ulas, then a unity march from Ulas to the Department of Agrarian Reform office at Catalunan Pequeño to air their demands.
Arnado said the system remains despite the new presidency. He added lumads in Mindanao context suffer from the same government neglect and influx of pseudo-development projects like foreign large-scale mining, among others.
He also said former President Benigno Aquino's Oplan Bayanihan continued to slay peasants and lumad leaders, as any form of resistance is met with militarization and human rights violations, thus, others opted to stand up and fight.
The KMP chair said the protest for food, land and justice supports the ongoing peace negotiations between the government and the communist party with the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio Economic Reform as its main agenda.