0809UPHL

Philippines:

01.07.2008

 Background

Bondoc Peninsula is one of the poorest areas in the province Quezon.
Most of the inhabitants work as share croppers on farmlands that are
tightly controlled by a few landlord families such as the Uy family in
San Vicente. Due to the Uy family’s political influence, the Uy
landholdings remain excluded from the national agrarian reform
program, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which
became effective in 1988.

In mid 1996, several Uy tenants began petitioning for land
distribution despite the political pressure and met with systematic
harassment by armed men working for the Uy family. Allegedly, the
New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of
the Philippines, is also threatening and harassing the peasants in
order to prevent activities in favour of the implementation of the
CARP in the area. The tenants were personally threatened, their
houses burned, their harvests forcibly confiscated and they are
suffering hunger. Four local peasant leaders were reportedly
murdered until 2007. Deolito Empas who was the president of the
Association of Peasants in Centro San Vicente (SMSC) is the fifth victim
of murder in Bondoc Peninsula. Threats have been directed at the
son and wife of Empas after they denounced the killing and made it
public. Due to the threat, Empas’ son Genard had to flee from San
Vicente, while Empas’ wife Roseminia is constantly transferring her
residence but nevertheless tries to work the land left behind by her
husband. The events in San Vicente in the last ten years manifest the
lawlessness and the state’s failure to intervene and protect rural
landless citizens’ human rights including the right to food. Many
were already forced to flee their homes, or were forcibly evicted and
are denied access to their fields by the armed goons.

In the past, the tenants have tried to attract the attention of the
government to protect them from the harassment of the goons and to
ensure their access to land. Several dialogues were held with the
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to reiterate their demands for
protection from harassment, for peaceful possession of the land and
immediate implementation of agrarian reform on the Uy property.
However, no concrete governmental action has been taken yet, while
the current food-crisis further impedes peasants’ access to food.
Instead, the implementation of the agrarian reform program is
moving excruciatingly slowly and the government is using legal
technicalities to block the tenants’ attempts to include their land into
CARP.

The last Urgent Action by FIAN for this case took place in 2006, but the
situation of the local peasants remains unchanged. Renewed efforts
are necessary in view of the food crisis and the bloody repression in
the area: On February 19 Deolito Empas, the local peasant
representative, was abducted by armed men in Sitio Centro, Barangay
San Vicente. Three weeks later, on March 9, his dead body was found.

FIAN Mandate

The Philippines is a state party to the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, thus duty-bound under
international law to protect and fulfil the right to food of all of its
citizens, including the tenants of the Uy landholdings. The
government must immediately provide land to the Uy tenants in
accordance with the CARP as well as protect the tenants from
harassment by the private armed men employed by the Uy family
and the NPA.

Call to Action

International support is urgently needed to support the landless
tenants in their struggle for redistribution of land. Please write
polite letters to the President of the Philippines, requesting her to
take immediate action in order to fulfil these tenants’ right to feed
themselves.

End of Action:

31 August,
2008

 Letter to the President of the Republic of the Philippines

Addresses:

Her Excellency Mrs. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo

President

Republic of the Philippines

Malacanang Palace

JP Laurel Street, San Miguel

Manila 1005

Philippines

Fax: +63 2 736 1010

Copies to:

Hon. Reynato S. Puno

Chief Justice

Supreme Court

Padre Faura, Manila

Philippines

Fax: +63 2 526 6186

Hon. Nasser C. Pangandaman

Secretary

Department of Agrarian
Reform

Elliptical Road, Diliman,

Quezon City

Philippines

Fax: +63 2 929 3088

Her Excellency

Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

President

Republic of the Philippines

Malacanang Palace

JP Laurel Street, San Miguel

Manila 1005

Philippines

Fax: +63 2 736 1010

Dear Mrs. President,

Recently, I was informed about the critical situation of the peasant community in
the village of San Vicente, Municipality of San Narciso, Quezon Province. These
peasants are tenants of the Uy family who owns the vast majority of plots in San
Vicente.

Despite of the legislation of the CARP in 1988, the Uy landholdings remain still
today excluded from the CARP. In mid 1996, several tenants began petitioning the
Uy landholdings for CARP coverage. The latest petition was in March 2003. Since
then, the tenants have been subject to eviction, criminalisation, confiscation of
their property and systematic physical harassment by armed men employed by the
landlord. It is also reported that the New Peoples Army threatens and harasses
peasants in order to prevent activities in favour of the implementation of the CARP
in the area. Due to the prevailing share-cropping scheme, all of the Uy tenants are
suffering from hunger and malnutrition. In the light of the current food crisis, their
situation is worsening. The tenants have repeatedly appealed to the government to
protect them from harassment, but to no avail. On 19 February 2008, Deolito
Empas, president of the Association of Peasants in Centro San Vicente (SMSC),
was abducted by a group of armed men in Sitio Centro, Barangay San Vicente. His
corpse was found on 9 March. Deolito is now the fifth person who has been
murdered in the course of the peasant’s struggle for their land in San Narciso.

As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well
as the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Philippines is dutybound
under international law to protect the life of Uy tenants and fulfil their right
to food. Therefore, I would like to ask you, Mrs. President, to:

1) Expedite the complete implementation of CARP in Bondoc Peninsula and
improve the living conditions of the tenant families by providing equal access to
landownership titles.

2) Break the culture of impunity in the light of the killings of peasant leaders in
Bondoc Peninsula.

3) Ensure the cooperation of local authorities and a thorough investigation
regarding the prosecution of the murder of Deolito Empas. The perpetrators must
be brought to justice soon and witnesses as well as family members must be
protected.

Please keep me updated on the measures you take in this regard.

Yours sincerely,

URGENT
Action

Please inform FIAN
International about any
response you receive
to your faxes and letters.

FIAN International Secretariat

P.O. Box 10 22 43

D-69012Heidelberg

Tel: +49.6221 653 00 30

Fax: +49.6221 830 545

email: kuennemann fian.org

http: www.fian.org