THE ATENEO community welcomed 71 coconut farmers from Kilusan para sa Ugnayan ng mga Samahang Magniniyog (Kilus Magniniyog) with chants of “Coco farmers’ trust fund! Itatag, itatag! (Establish the coco farmers’ trust fund!)” on November 20.
The farmers’ arrival in the Ateneo is part of their symbolic 71-day march, dubbed KM71, that implores President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to sign an executive order to establish the Perpetual Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund.
The march started on September 21 in Davao City and ended in Malacañang on November 26.
The number 71 represents theP71-billion coco levy fund that was retrieved from shares in food and beverage company San Miguel Corporation (SMC) which the Perpetual Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund aims to protect.
The coco levy refers to the tax collected from coconut farmers during the Marcos regime; the farmers were promised the development of the coconut industry and a share of the investments.
However, the money was invested in businesses unrelated to the coconut industry, particularly for the majority stake in SMC and the purchase of United Coconut Planters Bank.
According to a primer by the Ateneans for Agrarian Reform Movement (Afarm), the total coconut levy funds collected from 1973 to 1982 amassed to P9.7 B.
A percentage of that P9.7 B, known as the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF), has accumulated to a total of P150 B due to investments.
In 2012, 24% of the CIIF-SMC shares that amounts to P71 billion was declared by the Supreme Court as a pubic fund to be used for the development of the coconut industry.
However, the primer states that these funds have yet to be utilized for the benefit of the coconut farmers.
Kilus Magniniyog is an alliance of coconut farmers campaigning for the transparent allocation of the coco levy funds.
The welcoming of the farmers in the Ateneo was organized by Afarm, a social justice task force composed of rural development advocates in the university, and Buklod Atenista, the alliance of the student governments from Ateneo universities across the country.
Fight for justice
In her message to the Ateneo community during the program at Cervini Field, Ka Jovela Santikan named politician and SMC Chair Eduardo “Danding” Cojuanco Jr. responsible for stealing the 10,800-hectare Bugsuk Island from the natives.
“Ang [lupa sa Bugsuk na] nasa pamilya po namin, nasa 1,000 hectares —sa buong pamilya na po namin ‘yon… Sinakop pa po ang karagatan na kinabubuhayan ng mga mangingisda (My family owns 1,000 hectares of the land in Bugsuk—that’s already for the whole family… He also took for himself the sea, where our fishermen earn their living),” she said.
She added, “Magniniyog po kami, pero hindi po namin naranasan na magniniyog kami. Kahit minsan po, hindi ko pa po nakikita si Papa na nakakupras sa sarili po naming niyugan dahil hindi po namin hawak ang lupain namin (We are coconut farmers, but we don’t feel that we are. Not even once did I see my father farm in our own land because we don’t own the rights to it).”
In an interview with The GUIDON, Santikan explained that she and her family are no longer allowed to even step foot in their own land in Bugsuk.
Meanwhile, Ka Lian Escaragan, born to coconut farmers in Polilio Island, said the coconut business is such a tough source of income, his family barely has anything to eat.
In his message to the Ateneo community, he expressed his frustration with how the government overlooks the concerns of coconut farmers.
“Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit sinasabi sa balita [n] ang magniniyog ang may pinakamalaking naitutulong sa [pagpapalakas ng] dolyar para sa pag-export ng ating produkto. Pero bakit nananatili pa rin kami sa ganitong kalagayan? (What I don’t understand is why news reports always say that the coconut farmers have the biggest impact in the strengthening of the dollar for the exportation of our products. But why do we remain in this situation?)” said Escaragan.
He added, “Hindi ko po alam kung bakit ganoon kailap ang hustisya para sa amin. Hindi ko nakikita ang hustisya sa loob ng Korte Suprema. Hinahanap namin ito sa ilalim ng init at ulan (I don’t understand why justice has to be so elusive for us. I don’t see justice within the Supreme Court. We look for it under the heat of the sun and under the rain).”
For 17-year-old Ka Jelene Guerrero, one of the youngest coconut farmers involved in Kilus Magniniyog, joining the cause was a way to bring change to her family’s livelihood.
“As a youth, mulat ang kaisipan ko dito sa isyu na ito dahil ‘yong pangkat ko po sa organization sa niyugan ay nandoon po. Kaya ‘yon po ‘yong nag-push sa akin na sumama dito (As a member of the youth, my mind is open to this issue because my colleagues in the coconut organization are here. That’s what pushed me to join the march),” she said.
As a college freshman taking up a degree in agricultural technology, Guerrero said she would have a greater chance of achieving her dreams of travelling and owning a business if her family earns enough capital.
Full support
In his homily during the Mass, University President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ promised the Ateneo’s support for the farmers and their cause.
“Nakikiisa po kami sa inyong paghahanap, sa inyong pinaglalabang katarungan. At sana makatulong din kami kahit bahagya lamang sa pamamagitan ng pakikiisa sa inyong mga lakad (We are one in your search, in your fight for justice. And we hope we could at least help you by being one with you in your march),” he said.
In an interview with The GUIDON, Villarin encouraged everyone to review the issue, emphasizing that helping out in the Kilus Magniniyog’s cause is a lobbying effort for the entire university.
“I hope we can get to know the issue more. You don’t see this in your curriculum. This is an issue of national interest and I think it’s a formative one. It’s a teaching moment as well, so I hope our students can get involved, can be engaged, can know,” he said.
In the same program at Cervini Field the farmers expressed their gratitude towards the Ateneo community for cheering them on.
Escaragan said the support rekindles their determination to achieve their goal.
“Sadya pong kayo po ngayon ang aming sandigan. Wala na po kaming matatakbuhan. Nananatili po ang aming lakas dahil po sa inyong pakikiisa sa amin. Sa mainit na pagtanggap po ninyo, nagpapalakas po ng aming kalooban (You are who we depend on now. We have nowhere else to go to. We remain strong because you are one with us. Your warm welcome strengthens our spirit),” he said.
Likewise, Santikan said she is proud of the welcome they received from the Ateneo.
“Ako po’y natutuwa na sinalubong ninyo kami. Para po sa akin ay panalo na po kami (I am happy that you welcomed us. For me, it feels as though we’ve already won),” she said.
Computer science freshman Neicy Pilarca said her support for the farmers intensified when she finally saw them in person.
“At first, I just went for the sake of saying that I went. But then when I arrived at the Salubong and started chanting and cheering for the farmers, I realized that the reason why I was there is because of those farmers. Seeing their tired, but determined faces made me all the more empowered to support their cause,” she said.
She added that being in solidarity with the farmers and their cause upholds Atenean values. “I think that causes like these celebrate and challenge our being men and women for others—challenge in a way that [we ask ourselves], okay, what now? What can I do for these farmers?”
For management information systems freshman Aldrin Mallari, welcoming the farmers was the least he could do to show them his support.
“Hindi ko naman kasi kayang magmartsa ng ganoon kalayong distansya. Hindi ko rin naman kasi kayang sumugod sa Malacañang at magbilad sa araw kasama nila. Kaya ito na lamang ‘yung ginawa ko; sinalubong ko sila. Dito sa pagsalubong ko na lamang pinaramdam sa kanila ‘yung buong pusong pagsusuporta ko sa ipinaglalaban nilang isyu (I can’t march as far as they did. I also can’t go to Malacañang and endure the heat of the sun with them. This was the only thing I could do: I welcomed them. Welcoming them was the only way that I could let them feel my all-out support for their cause),” he said.
He added that it’s important for Ateneans to be aware of the issue since they are being molded into future leaders.
“Kung ngayon, wala tayong pakialam sa mga nangyayari sa lipunan, paano pa kaya kung tayo na ‘yung namamahala rito (If we don’t care about the issues in our society now, then what more when the time comes that we are the ones leading it?)?” he said.
Itinerary
Following the welcoming at Gate 3, the attendees proceeded to Cervini Field to hear the farmers talk about their cause.
Along with the farmers, Ateneo Student Catholic Action (Atsca) Moderator Marlon Fabros, Farmer Sector Representative Dioscorro Granada, Political Science Department Chair Maria Elissa Lao, PhD, former University President Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, Associate Dean for Student Affairs Rene San Andres, former Quezon 4th District Representative Lorenzo Tañada III and Sanggunian Vice President Ryan Yu also delivered solidarity messages.
A Mass in the Church of the Gesù presided by Villarin and a prayer vigil led by Atsca at the Bellarmine Field followed after the program,
In the evening, the farmers were given dinner at the Institute of Social Order while a medical mission was held at the Cervini Recreation Room.
The medical mission was organized by the Office of the Vice President for Social Development along with Health Sciences Program Director Norman Dennis Marquez.
Volunteers from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, Ateneo Health Sciences Society and Pre-Medical Society of Ateneo attended to the farmers’ concerns.
The farmers departed the Ateneo on the morning of November 21 to head to the Philippine Coconut Authority where they stayed before marching to Malacañang.
