PH political dynasties strip peasant women of their right to land and life

PH political dynasties strip peasant women of their right to land and life

The Center for Women’s Resources joins peasant groups and advocates in reiterating calls for genuine land reform amidst rampant landlessness, land grabbing, land-use conversion, and displacement of peasant families. Peasant groups and advocates underscore the crucial role played by political dynasties in perpetuating corruption and in exacerbating poverty and landlessness in the country.

The political landscape in the Philippines remains dominated by landlords and business elites with vested interests to maintain a system that strips peasant women of their right to land and life. By occupying political positions while controlling vast agricultural estates, they shaped economic policies that prioritize their own economic and political interests over the needs of the rural poor.

Alongside land grabbing, displacement, and land use conversion, repression and attacks against the farmers remain rampant under the current administration of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. In the Southern Tagalog region, the Santa Rosa Realty Development Corporation (SRRDC) attempted to displace farmers of Barangay Casile, Cabuyao by blocking 24 hectares of farmland and affecting the mobility of 11 families in their community.

The SRRDC is constructing fences for a major road project to connect Casile with the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) without valid permits or prior consultation with local farmers. Barangay Casile is part of the 7,100-hectare Hacienda Yulo, controlled by cronies of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Farmers there have faced threats and eviction attempts from Yulo-Ayala security forces for four years, with armed goons raiding and burning homes of farmer leaders.

In Occidental Mindoro, 29 Mangyan Iraya residents from Hacienda Almeda in Abra de Ilog were forcibly detained by private goons and police. Families of these Mangyan Iraya residents – 17 elders and 12 minors have lost contact with their loved ones and without news of their whereabouts.

The Irayas have been victims of harassment, enforced disappearances, and killings since the 1990s. The lands seized by Hacienda Almeda Inc. and real-estate developer Pieceland Corporation include the Iraya’s settlements, sacred groves, burial sites, watersheds, and sources of livelihood across approximately 1,546 hectares. This is despite multiple rulings in favor of the farmers and the Iraya Mangyan, the Almeda family continues to exploit loopholes in the bogus and failed CARP to delay and obstruct the redistribution of land.

We stand in solidarity with peasant women fighting for genuine land reform. Their demand for land is an assertion of economic survival, dignity, and life. Their courage in the face of oppression is a testament to their strength. By dismantling the system of political dynasties , we can ensure the peasantry’s rightful access and control over land and resources, and create a future where justice and life thrives. #

No decent work without freedom of association and the right to organize!

No decent work without freedom of association and the right to organize!

On the World Day for Decent Work, we condemn the ongoing attacks against trade unionists and labor organizers. The Philippines remains a perilous environment for those advocating for workers’ rights, where killings, abductions, and harassment continue unabated, including women labor leaders and organizers.

According to the 2024 Global Rights Index of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the threat of violence persists against Filipino workers and unions, where there is “no guarantee of rights” and are “exposed to autocratic regimes and unfair labor practices”.

The red-tagging and intimidation faced by the leaders of the Nexperia workers’ union illustrate this situation. For years, union leaders have been subjected to relentless surveillance and harassment, with union president Mary Ann Castillo among those targeted. Nexperia workers union has been organizing workers and fighting against unfair labor practices, and union-busting.

In 2021, Teresa Dioquino, a cultural worker and labor advocate, was illegally arrested, and is currently imprisoned. Dioquino is a staunch activist and has long served as International Officer of the Kilusang Mayo Uno, fighting for global workers’ rights. On May 3, 2022, Loi Magbanua, a labor organizer and women’s rights activist, was abducted and remains missing, presumed taken by state forces.

These forms of persecution demonstrate a concerted effort to stifle dissent and suppress workers’ rights. The enactment of the Anti-Terror Law and continuing funding of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has made it all worse.

As we mark this day, we stand together in solidarity to protect and defend those who fight for decent work – against exploitative practices, for living wages and labor rights. We enjoin all Filipinos in the collective fight to ensure that every worker can speak out without fear and threat of violence. No decent work without freedom of association and the right to organize!

Convenient redefinitions cannot mask escalating economic crisis – Women’s think tank

Convenient redefinitions cannot mask escalating economic crisis – Women’s think tank

The Center for Women’s Resources condemns the government’s attempt to artificially lower unemployment numbers by considering Filipinos work one per ‘reference period’ as employed – an insult to 20 million economically insecure women.

CWR reiterates the importance of using grounded and accurate data when formulating policies related to employment and poverty. The recent statement from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) during the Senate committee hearing and budget deliberations suggesting that a Filipino working just one hour a day qualifies as employed is a concerning simplification that obscures the real extent of the employment crisis in the Philippines.

In a recent survey conducted by CWR in June 2024, it was noted that the job crisis remains one of the top concerns of women. This indicates that unemployment, loss of livelihood, and its resulting poverty and hunger is a serious problem — a violation of women’s rights. Amidst an escalating economic crisis and widespread human suffering, it is of utmost importance to surface concrete, ground-level data that accurately depicts the conditions people face.

Despite the obvious attempt to give false sense of economic development, no amount of convenient redefinitions can mask the lived experiences of Filipinos. Blurring the lines between employment and unemployment through such convenient definitions does not address these issues. Similar to NEDA’s statement claiming PhP64.00 pesos to suffice for daily food cost, it fails to reflect the severity of economic hardship experienced by many, particularly women. It refrains the implementation of meaningful solutions that will ensure long-term, sustainable growth and people-centered development.

CWR reiterates that grounded data and evidence should serve as a basis for crafting economic policies that serve the most marginalized. Doing otherwise would only serve the interests of a few rich in the country. CWR urges all Filipinos to resist accepting such misinformation and to continue voicing their real conditions and demands. ###

Magkaisa at ipaglaban ang karapatan sa serbisyo at suporta sa panahon ng krisis at kalamidad!

Magkaisa at ipaglaban ang karapatan sa serbisyo at suporta sa panahon ng krisis at kalamidad!

Bumungad sa mga residente ng NCR at mga rehiyon ng CALABARZON, Central Luzon, Cordillera, MIMAROPA, Bicol, Central at Western Visayas, hanggang Northern Mindanao ang walang-tigil na pag-ulan noong Hulyo 24, 2024 dulot ng habagat na pinalakas ng Super Typhoon Carina.

Umaga pa lamang ay nagsimula na ang rescue operations sa mga bahaing komunidad sa Metro Manila at iba pang lugar dahil sa mabilis na pagtaas ng tubig. Sa datos ng PNP, umabot na sa 34 ang naitalang nasawi, mayorya ay dahil sa pagkalunod, landslide, at iba pang pinsala dulot ng pagbaha.

Ayon sa NDRRMC, umabot sa 1.3 milyon indibidwal o 299,344 pamilya ang apektado sa buong bansa (maliban sa Eastern Visayas), habang tinatayang ₱9.7 milyon ang halaga ng pinsala sa agrikultura, ₱6.6 milyon sa mga irigasyon, at ₱1.3 milyon sa imprastraktura. Matinding hagupit ito sa mahihirap na mamamayan, lalo na sa mga kababaihan at bata.

Sa katatapos na State of the Nation Address (SONA), ipinagmalaki ni Pang. Marcos Jr. ang 5,500 flood control projects na natapos sa ilalim ng kanyang administrasyon.

Umabot sa ₱12.13 bilyon ang inutang ng gobyerno sa World Bank noong 2017 upang isagawa ang Metro Manila Flood Management Project na layuning resolbahin ang pagbaha sa Metro Manila sa pamamagitan ng pag-modernisa sa drainage system at pagsasaayos ng waste collection at disposal system, ito raw ay pakikinabangan ng 3.5 milyong residente sa mga bahaing lugar sa Metro Manila.

Ang ₱255 bilyong badyet na inilaan para rito sa ilalim ng DPWH ay mas malaki pa sa badyet ng Department of Agriculture (₱167B), Department of Science and Technology (₱27B), Commission on Higher Education (₱31B), at State Universities and Colleges (₱106B).

Ngunit dalawang araw matapos ang SONA, nabunyag ang kapalpakan ng mga nasabing proyekto nang kinumpirma ng MMDA na hindi kinakaya ng kasalukuyang drainage system ang matinding pag-ulan dahil 30 mm/hr lang ang kayang i-proseso kumpara sa 74 mm/hr na buhos ng ulan.

Imbis na akuin ang pananagutan, ginamit ni Marcos Jr. ang usapin ng climate change at sinisi ang mga mamamayan na nagtatapon ng basura sa kanilang paligid bilang dahilan ng matinding pagbaha.

Patunay ito na walang malasakit at pagpapahalaga ang gobyernong Marcos Jr. sa mahihirap na pamilya na nalubog sa baha, walang makain, at nasiraan ng maraming kagamitan. Malinaw ang kanyang kapabayaan at pagtalikod sa responsibilidad sa panahon ng kalamidad.Kasalukuyang nakapailalim sa state of calamity ang buong Metro Manila, dapat kagyat na mabigay ang suporta at serbisyo sa mga biktima ng kalamidad.

Kailangang matiyak na ilalaan ang calamity funds sa emergency response katulad ng pagkain, tubig, medisina, maayos na sanitasyon, paglilinis sa komunidad, kasama ang dagliang paghahakot ng mga basura na nakatambak sa mga kalsada, at iba pa.Kailangan ang maagap na pagbibigay ng serbisyong pangkalusugan upang maiwasan ang pagkalat ng sakit lalo na ng diarrhea, leptospirosis, at mga sakit sa balat dulot ng pagkababad sa tubig-baha. Dapat ding matiyak na estable at walang manipulasyon ng presyo ng mga bilihin sa kalakhang Maynila.

Sa nalalapit na budget deliberations, mahalagang makialam ang mamamayan at ipanawagan na pagtuunan ng pansin ang mga programa at flood management interventions na angkop sa sitwasyon ng mga komunidad.

Marapat na matapat na iulat sa mamamayan kung saan at paano ginagamit ang bilyon-bilyong pondo mula sa kaban ng bayan. Kasabay nito, kailangang itigil ang mga mapaminsalang aktibidad ng quarrying, large-scale mining, at reclamation projects ng mga malalaking lokal at dayuhang korporasyon na patuloy na sumisira sa kalikasan at siyang sanhi ng malalang pagbaha.

Kailangang panagutin kapwa ang administrasyong Marcos Jr. at ang nakaraang administrasyong Duterte sa sistematikong kapabayaan at lantarang kawalan malasakit sa mamamayan!Mahigpit na magkaisa at tumindig para ipaglaban ang mga karapatan sa panahon ng krisis at kalamidad!

KURO | Address poverty, jobs creation & price inflation, not Charter Change! Perception of Grassroots Women in Metro Manila on Marcos Jr. Administration’s Charter Change Center for Women’s Resources 2024

KURO | Address poverty, jobs creation & price inflation, not Charter Change! Perception of Grassroots Women in Metro Manila on Marcos Jr. Administration’s Charter Change Center for Women’s Resources 2024

Charter Change, a priority legislation of the Marcos Jr. administration has been hotly debated in the Congress and the Senate in the last two years. To further understand the perceptions and opinions of female voters in Metro Manila about the issue, CWR conducted a survey in vote-rich communities in the region from June 15 to July 12, 2024.

The sample consisted of 897 female respondents aged 18 and above, representing the larger population of female voters in NCR. The data gathered also provided valuable insights for political campaigns and policy decisions leading up Marcos’ SONA in July 22 and upcoming 2025 elections in 2025.

Profile of Respondents

Age – Majority are between 35 and 44 years old and 45 and 54 years old, each having 20.4% representation. Those aged 25-34 years old come in second with 18.3%.

Civil Status – 47.3% are married, 18.5% are single, 16.6% are live-ins.

Work/Livelihood – 35.5% are self-employed or own-account workers, suggesting poor government efforts in providing jobs. This is alarmingly followed by 32.9% unemployed respondents. Only 7.2% are employed in formal establishments.

Monthly Household Income – Over 70% of the total respondents are minimum wage earners. Majority or 26.1% are low-income earners at P5,001 to P10,000 monthly, followed by 25.4% who earn less than P5,000 monthly, and 19.3% who earn P10,001 to P15,000 monthly.

Educational Level – 31.8% of the respondents are high school graduates. 23.4% reached high school and 12.9% at college level. Among the remaining respondents, 11% completed elementary, 9.4% reached elementary level and 6.1% completed college.

Survey Results

59.1% have heard of charter change

The remaining 363 respondents were not aware of the proposed charter change. This data contradicts the claims made by proponents of charter change that they have the support of the public, validating questions raised about the legitimacy of the People’s Initiative.

Only 14.5% of the respondents were able to give a brief description of charter change

Those who have heard but did not fully understand, and those who have little to no knowledge about charter change make up 44.4% of the sample when combined. This suggests that there is a need for more education and information dissemination to ensure that women are well-informed and able to participate in discussions and decision-making processes.

42.1% turn to conventional media as source of information

The number of respondents who rely on social media platforms for news comes in second at 6%, followed by information from neighbors or face-to-face interactions in their community at 4% and from local community groups or organizations with 1%.

49.7% do not know or cannot concretely explain how it might affect them and their families
Coming in second, 23% said that the constitutional change will only worsen their already poor economic conditions with the loss of jobs, lesser income, and higher prices of goods and utilities that it might entail. Only 3.6% said that charter change could potentially change their lives for the better.

Only 6.2% of the total respondents expressed agreement to charter change

A glaring 21.3% expressed that they do not agree with the proposed amendments in the Constitution, and 6.2% said they lack information to decide. Among those who responded that they agree, 26.0% said that Charter Change will bring about significant changes in people’s lives although they cannot articulate how charter change will bring about this. While 23.3% mentioned that Charter Change can bring about change in the system that will enable a strong economy. Out of the 303 respondents that articulated if they are in favor or not, 63% disagree, 18.5% agree, while 18.5% are undecided.

Those who oppose charter change believe that the government should instead prioritize issues that directly impact their lives.

These included addressing poverty and hunger (22.8%), job creation (20%), and controlling high prices of goods and services, including utilities (15.5%). Some (10.1%) expressed that support should be given to struggling sectors like healthcare, education, and housing. Additionally, the call for higher wages comes in as a top four concern (6.8%), reflecting the economic struggles faced by the majority of women.

Thematic Analysis / Findings

A. Awareness – The survey revealed overall that there seems to be a lack of clarity and understanding surrounding charter change among female voters in Metro Manila. Accessibility to information and education on the topic may be a contributing factor. Without a clear understanding of the implications, it may be difficult for individuals to form informed opinions and engage in meaningful dialogue on charter change. 

B. On economic impacts – As revealed, almost half of the women in Metro Manila do not have any idea or cannot explain the potential effects of charter change in their lives. Combined with the perceived lack of understanding on the matter, a significant portion (23%) believes that the proposed amendment to the constitution will only worsen the economic conditions that most of them already experience – majority (70.8%) live below the poverty threshold set by the government, with many of them either self-employed and own-account workers (35.5%) who rely on “diskarte” due to scarce economic opportunities available or unemployed (32.9%).

C. On political impacts – Among the top reasons as to why women in Metro Manila disagree with charter change is because they believe that only the rich and those in power will benefit from such a move. 25.2% expressed concerns regarding impacts to democratic processes, political issues and governance. Some mentioned concerns on power abuse, against term extension, and lack of confidence in the current system of governance.   

D. Priority – Rather than prioritizing charter change, the women of Metro Manila urged the government to focus on practical solutions that will have a direct and positive impact on the lives of the Filipino people like addressing poverty, joblessness and high prices. They also believe that charter change will only benefit the rich and those in power.