It was a great honor and privilege for the officers of the Kibaritan Farmers St. Peter Higaonon Tribe Agriculture Cooperative of Malinao, Kalilangan, Bukidnon Branch together with the former Under-Secretary/Chairman of the Cooperative Development Authority, Orlando Ravanera, to have met the amazing Mayor who have heard with sense of urgency pressing issues besetting the poor and oppressed farmers. .
As reported by them to the honorable Mayor, they have gone to Davao City a week ago and had the privilege of reporting to no less than the very charismatic and amazing Vice President Sarah Duterte Carpio through her Chief of the Davao Satellite Office, Ms. Jean Dixon, the turmoil and horrible challenges that they are experiencing in Kibaritan since 2006.
They oozed with joy when they were assured that such urgent concerns will be acted by the Vice President in a week’s time. Be that as it may and with all due respect to the honorable Mayor, they felt obliged to have this development be reported to the honorable mayor and Sangguniang Bayan whom they believe should exemplify to the highest degree the Constitutional provision that “a public office is a public trust and that all officials of government must exercise their functions to the highest degree of commitment and dedication.”
They sincerely expressed to the honorable Mayor that as an intrepid lawyer who ardently follows the rule of law, “you are that most awaited leader to put to rest the issues that have caused us and to our families, so much despair and sleepless nights because of grave social injustice, harassment done to us in gross violations of our human rights since 2016.”
They categorically asked, “how dare our lands in Kibaritan had been land-grabbed using pronouncement of military reservation as an alibi! Until now, we are so puzzled why the 16,000 hectares which had been declared as alienable and disposable suddenly formed part of the 46,000 hectares military reservation? Is the 30,000 hectares not enough?
We are even more puzzled when our community in Sitio Kibaritan, with a Chapel and an Elementary School established in 1984 has been converted into a part of the firing range, with an Unidentified Explosive Ordnance (UXO) that caused the death of three innocent children on March 25, 2016 who were playing in the vicinity, devoid of warning or precautionary measures from the concerned military officials? Wasn’t that gross negligence and those responsible officials must be made accountable?”
They contented further that, “we are so puzzled why the more or less 100 hectares taken from us in 2020 are now converted into farming projects by military officials in cohort with business corporations. What is so painful was the unscrupulous fencing of the farm- to-market-road, the destruction of our fences, the cutting of our planted sugarcane in 2021, followed by cutting of cassava and “kamote,” and replaced by the planting of corn as ordered by the military officials. Now these officials are planting fruit trees for their own self-interest.”
They are ardently raising so many questions. “Is that the way to convert our farms into military reservation? Those who ordered were cutting our plants in presence of military gun men in gross violation of our human rights! We are farmers and farming is our livelihood to feed our children and to live a dignified life. Apparently, the ones gaining from our lands are military officials for their self-vested interest in the guise of transforming our land into military reservation.”
They told the honorable mayor that” lately Hon. Mayor, we are treated as disposable wastes! as shown by the throwing of stone and hurting of Ms. Novelyn Pasague when she with lady farmers were planting corn in their farms by a certain Col. Ciriaco A. Lomas-e, Jr. INF (GSC) PA. Ms. Novelyn was so hurt that she had to see a doctor and now has become sickly and in the verge of a nervous breakdown.” Apparently, the message of these military officials is clear as they instill fear to take hold of the farmers’ land. Is the enrichment of these officials means the dispossession of the poor farmers?
Honorable Mayor, there is so much to report as they expressed their utmost thanks. Thus, it is in this context that they are now sincerely appealing to the “Father of Kalilangan” for the conduct of a multi-agency meeting as soon as possible together with the Vice-Mayor, the honorable members of the Sangguniang Bayan, the Barangay Captain and if possible, concerned AFP officials and corporations with business engagements in the land-grabbed areas.
It is in this context that the requested meeting is requested by them to put in clear categorical term on WHERE ARE WE NOW? WHERE ARE WE GOING? & HOW TO DO WE NOW BRING BACK THE RULE OF LAW? They are hoping that finally they can put to rest all of these troubling issues which for them are very elementary and simple but have become so horrible and complicated because of the outpourings of gospel of misinformation to justify what clearly are gross social injustices committed against them. They are ardently hoping and praying that the Hon. Mayor Raymon Charl Gamboa will finally be the much awaited “Father of the Municipality” to finally stop the on-going oppression of the farmers whose human rights have been grossly violated including the conduct of the investigation of the death of three innocent children.
As a native-resident of Kalilangan, the honorable Mayor has a clear understanding on the status of land that the former soldiers, the ancestors of the present occupants who have been unjustly evicted in gross violation of their prior rights. Their ancestors and their descendants have already acquired prior rights, Now, they are being evicted, and worse, being harassed. Honorable Mayor, as the Chief Legal Officer of DAR before in Region 10, and now the Mayor of Kalilangan, it behooves upon you to bring back the rule of law because in this country no one is above the law; all must bow down to the majesty of the law because we follow the rule of law and not of men. But apparently, the rule of law has not been followed but the rule of power and perhaps, money! It has become imperative that verification and investigation should now be done. To you honorable Mayor, OUR FIRM
SALUTE AND WARM EMBRACE!
