CALATAGAN FARMERS

CARDINAL ROSALES TO MEET THE

CALATAGAN FARMERS IN ATENEO
The farmers from Baha and Talibayog in Calagatan, Batangas began their 5-day walk from Lipa
City in Batangas to Manila yesterday after receiving the blessings of Archbishop Ramon
Arguelles of the Archdiocese of Lipa. In his blessings at a mass celebrated with the assembly of
seminarians all over the Philippines held at the Cathedral de San Sebastian, Archbishop
Arguelles expressed his support for the march of the farmers. “On this first week of the new
church year, God manifests himself among the farmers of Baha and Talibayog. The
Archdiocese of Lipa supports the struggle of the little ones whose only strength is in God’s
power” Arguelles said.
Archbishop Arguelles also announced that the Calatagan farmers will be met by his Eminence
Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales upon their arrival at the Ateneo de Manila University on December
5. The Calatagan farmers were jubilant at this news. Dante Rasdas, member of the Calatagan
farmers’ core group recalled that December 5 will be the anniversary of the arrival of the
Sumilao farmers in Ateneo de Manila University where they were welcomed by Cardinal
Rosales. “We walked with the Sumilao farmers from San Pedro, Laguna to Manila last year as
our gesture of solidarity. We have witnessed how Cardinal Rosales embraced the Sumilao
farmers then and how the support of the Cardinal led to the victory of the Sumilao farmers”
Rasdas said. Virginita Malaluan, spokesperson of the Calatagan farmers said that anticipating
the meeting with Cardinal Rosales gives them inspiration, strength and hope. “We are looking
forward to meet the Cardinal and tell him of the story of our own struggles. We are confident
that Cardinal Rosales will lend us his support as he did with the Sumilao farmers last year.
Malaluan read the Calatagan Farmers manifesto at the send-off Mass. She announced that ten
of the seventy-six farmers joining the march will go on hunger strike as soon as they reach the
DAR central office in Quezon City on December 6. “In our conviction to fight for and defend our
land and our rights, ten farmers among us, representing the three generations of struggling
farmers in Baha and Talibayog, will go on hunger strike as soon as we arrive at the Department
of Agrarian Reform. In foregoing food, we will defend our right to produce food. In their
voluntary act of suffering from hunger, we will assert our conviction to fight hunger” the
manifesto said.
The Calatagan farmers declared that they are walking to Malacañang to ask President Arroyo
to once and for all affirm the agricultural classification of the 507 hectares disputed land in
Calatagan, Batangas which is also being claimed by Asturias Industries headed by Ramon Ang.
DENR Secretary Lito Atienza had consistently declared that the disputed land has become
“mineralized” and therefore exempted from the coverage of agrarian reform. The land was
distributed to the farmers in 1989 and 1990 by the Department of Agrarian Reform under the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. The farmers has since fully paid their land
amortizations and had become full owners of the land. However, the former landowners, the
heirs of Ceferino Ascue managed to sell the land to Asturias Industries in 1995. In 1997, the
DENR issued a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) and an Environmental
Compliance Certificate (ECC) covering more than 2,000 hectares which included the contested
507 hectares distributed through agrarian reform.
In a public forum in Ateneo last
September, the Asturias representative
Atty. Michaela Rosales revealed that aside
mining, Asturias is planning to develop
industrial and eco-tourism zones in the
disputed area. She even announced that a
Formula 1 race track will be built in the
area” said Jane Capacio of the Task Force
Baha-Talibayog (TFBT). Capacio said that it
is very clear that Asturias is using its MPSA
to take away the lands from the farmer as
a prelude to converting the land to other
uses later. The Calatagan farmers left the
St. Thomas Academy in Sto. Tomas,
Batangas early this morning and are
expected to cross the Batangas-Laguna
boundary today on their way to San Pedro,
Laguna where they will spend the night.