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AMIHAN |
National Federation of Peasant Women
80-A Mapang-akit St., Brgy. Pinyahan,
Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES
Telefax: (632) 922-3982 email: amihan_psntwmn@yahoo.com |
News Release
May 10, 2009
Reference: Carmen Buena, Chairperson
Tess Vistro, mobile # 09206271186
On Mothers Day
Peasant mothers dance Curacha against Chacha and demand free land distribution
On the occasion of Mother’s Day celebration, some 20 landless peasant mothers identified with Amihan, a national peasant federation of peasant women danced Curacha in front of the Philippine Congress to protest a plan for a charter change that will bestow 100% ownership of land to foreigners in reference to the Chacha resolution-- House Resolution 737 chiefly authored by House Speaker Prospero Nograles.
Amihan chairperson Carmen Buena said the symbolic dance activity was also meant for the enactment of Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill No. 3059, a bill filed by the progressive representatives in Congress from Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Anakpawis partylists. The controversial bill which landlords in Congress described as a “class war” provides for free distribution of land to landless farmers, grants land rights to women farmers and sufficient support services for them to make their lands truly productive.
The Amihan peasant women leader said they interpreted Curacha, a traditional Filipino courtship dance, with a militant twist by demanding not wooing House Speaker Prospero Nograles and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to immediately enact GARB or House Bill 3059.
Buena said the Curacha dance is also a protest against Joint Resolution #1, signed by the House of Representatives and Senate, which aims to extend the life of the two decades old comprehensive agrarian reform program (CARP), which according to Amihan and allied groups had failed to distribute lands to the landless farmers.
Buena, a landless rice farmer herself from Pampanga said: “ We deplore the fact that Congress and the Senate are focusing their efforts in extending the CARP, a program which made use of billions of people’s money but never benefited the farmers.”
In the spirit of the militant tradition of Mothers Day in the 1900s, where mothers protested the sending of their children to the war front and put to question imperialist and state policies inimical to the interest of mothers, the peasant mothers declared to continue pressing for the enactment of a genuine agrarian reform program and continue fighting government policies that make farmers poor and landless.
Children of farmers offered flowers and showered the peasant mothers with confettis in recognition of the great sacrifices mothers do, not only for their families, but also for the community and the society as a whole.
The Mothers’ day event was part of the rural people’s camp out against Charter Change, CARP, installed in front of the Philippine Congress. A coordinated endeavor of the AMIHAN, National Federation of Peasant Women, the Peasant Movement of the Philippines, the fisherfolk group, PAMALAKAYA, and UMA, the agricultural workers group, the camp out is already on its 29th day of action.
Solidarity greetings from APWLD! Dear sisters and brothers at the camp-out against Charter Change and CARP in front of the Philippine Congress, Read more
NAFSO - We as NAFSO movement are shocked to hear the callousness and the carelessness of Philippine government to your genuine struggle. We truly understand your sincere objectives as community leaders. Similar struggles are happening all over the world for the betterment of the masses including farmers, fisherfolk, laborers, and pastoralists.
Read more
Roots for Equity - In Solidarity with Militant Mothers against Chacha!
Dear Comrades: We salute your struggle for gaining control over your lands, wrestling them from the elite in your country. Your struggle reflects ours in Pakistan where nearly 90% of those who till the land are landless! Read more
Members of RRAFA,Thailand (Foundation of Reclaiming Rural Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Action, Thailand) - Our hearts to
AMIHAN/ National Federation of Peasant Women As women, mothers, sisters and friends, we strongly believe in our peasant mothers movement in the Philippines in doing the right things for Genuine Agrarian Reform on the Mother’s Day celebration.
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Date: Saturday, May 23, 2009, 11:53 PM
Dear Friends,
On its 40th day, peasants led by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), KASAMA-TK (Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan), AMIHAN (National Federation of Peasant Women), PAMALAKAYA (National Federation of Small Fisherfolks of the Philippines) and UMA (National Union of Agricultural Workers), who have been camping out at the south gate of the House of Representatives (HOR) in Manila to press for the passage of the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) were dispersed by the Philippine National Police and HOR security guards using truncheons and water cannons on Friday (May 22). Nine people were injured
Please watch the video by Kodao Productions at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjwsFIQsxMc
Thanks, |
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