The struggle for land reform continues in Sicogon and across the country

Partido Sosyalista congratulates the Federation of Sicogon Island Farmers and Fisherfolk Association (FESIFFA) on the signing of the so-called “deed of donation” which transfers 63 hectares of land to their members following a compromise deal they signed with Ayala Corporation in 2014.

This is a victory for the farmers and artisanal fishers of Sicogon—the fruit of over two decades of mobilization for land redistribution. Had they not organized and mobilized, they would have ended up like so many other former Sicogon residents who had been removed from the island by Ayala. But because they stayed together and refused to yield in the face of corporate power, they have managed to continue living in Sicogon and are now poised to receive legal titles to their land. This is proof that, together in struggle, the oppressed can win concessions and prevent complete dispossession.

But this is only a partial and bitter victory—one that reminds us all of the limits of reform within our elite-dominated capitalist society and, with this, of the need for us to continue our collective struggle for land redistribution beyond reform.

The small cultivators of Sicogon ought to have received 334 hectares of land: this was the ruling in the “Order of Finality” issued by no less than the Department of Agrarian Reform in 2012. But this ruling was set aside and the country’s land reform laws were effectively disregarded by the government when President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and his officials—including former Senate President Franklin Drilon and National Anti-Poverty Commission chair Joel Rocamora—misled and pressured FESIFFA to give up their fight and just forge a compromise deal with Ayala in 2014, all so the latter can proceed to build another tropical playground for elites.

So instead of being awarded just about enough land to cultivate and sustain their families, FESIFFA members ended up with just 63 hectares to divide among their 700-plus members; Ayala got over 600 hectares, including Sicogon’s beachfronts and most beautiful areas.

The smaller parcel of land they were forced to accept should have been awarded to FESIFFA members immediately over a decade ago, right after the compromise was forged. And yet it has taken over ten years for the transfer to be made. As many as 25 FESIFFA members have died waiting as Ayala insisted on imposing all sorts of restrictions on what can be done with the 63 hectares of land the farmers should receive and as FESIFFA members continued to object to those restrictions.

What happened in Sicogon shows us all of just how meaningless our laws turn out to be when they get in the way of powerful corporations’ plans, of how hard-won reforms can easily be set aside by Presidents beholden to or unwilling to stand up to elites.

So even as we celebrate with FESIFFA members and take inspiration from their collective perseverance, we also share in their grief and disappointment. Even as we take inspiration from their struggle, we also share in their determination to fight on for larger and more lasting victories.

We demand the immediate processing of land titles for FESIFFA members following the signing of the deed of donation. We call for the immediate distribution of all landholdings that still need to be redistributed under the existing Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). We call for a comprehensive review of the failures of this program and for its complete overhaul, such as by replacing it with an entirely new law that is in favor of smallholders rather than big landlords and corporations. And we reiterate our commitment to building a society in which our islands, our beautiful beaches, and all our resources are shared by all rather than fenced off for the enjoyment of only the rich and powerful.