LETTER

No reason to pattong

Mountain Province farmers may find lesser reasons to hold their traditional obaya di pagey as their livelihood continue to decline. As if not hit enough by the aggravating economic crisis, they also experience annual decrease in harvest, narrowing of their payaws, pest infestation, and the rising cost of production yet cheap pricing of agricultural products.

The income of farmers in the province remains at the range of P3,200 to P6,800 which is way below the poverty threshold P7,200 per family of 5-6 as declared by the National Economic Development Authority.

Due to insufficient harvest, and the need for immediate money, farmers are forced to explore other means for income. Others go into vegetable farming while others enter small- scale mining. There have also been drastic moves such as totally abandoning their lands so as to work in urban centers and out-migrate from their ili.

Many payews have been converted into gardens, but gardeners face the same issues, the rising cost of production while their vegetables are priced cheap by middlemen who are more in control of market prices. Due to the liberalization of agriculture, their local produce are not able to compete with those being imported from Vietnam, Taiwan, and other countries. Entering small-scale mining also poses danger to the miners and the ili as most Small-scale Mines in the province are unregulated by the community.

The government remains unserious in pushing efforts to alleviate the condition of farmers. At present, instead of increasing state subsidy to agriculture, it is pushing for agribusiness and the One Town One Product (OTOP) program of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. As part of the obtuse dream of GMA of creating “super regions”, GM-mais (Dekalb Yieldgard of Monsanto) is being introduced in MP, Ifugao, and Kalinga and High- Yielding Varities of rice are still being promoted. This however entails the use of various pesticides and other chemicals which are added expenses to farmers. Not to mention the long-term effect of degrading soil quality.

The OTOP program of the national government leads to mono- cropping which is oriented towards a commercial and profit driven agriculture, very much different from the traditional self subsistent farming of the locals. And instead of presenting alternative livelihoods, the government and the Philippine Army is actively recruiting their para-military forces among young farmers so as to augment the thinning lines of regular soldiers in the field.

Reformist programs such as the Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Program II (CHARMP II), which are funded by foreign institutions such as the Asian Development Bank are nothing but deceptions to the masses who are being pushed to take all opportunities to be able to obtain their daily needs. CHARMP II has funds up to P2.799 billion yet does not assure continuing development but instead leads to dependency to the government and private institutions. It pushes for ancestral land titling, agrobusiness and agroforestry, which are not for the interest of the farmers.

Only the National- Democratic movement, through its protracted people’s war, can provide for farmers the opportunity to harness and develop their lands, and build an agriculture sector which will serve national interest.

The present successes of the New People’s Army in assisting communities to do agrarian revolution and actually increase economic productivity for the people are but concrete proofs of seedlings to more and bigger victories for the people in the future.

There really is no reason for farmers to celebrate. May it be in Mountain Province nor in other places across the country. Yet there is even more reason for them to build stronger unity. In the middle of this worsening situation, the regime of Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo backed by US imperialism, is creating the very same flux which will topple her government. Maybe then can we make merry.

Leonardo Pacsi Command
New People’s Army
Mountain Province