Bagong Alyansang Makabayan condemns the forced removal of the kampuhan ng mga magsasaka in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and holds the Marcos Jr. government accountable for the violent actions of the police and its continued disregard over the plight of farmers, Indigenous Peoples, and rural communities threatened with displacement.
Peasant communities from Bicol, Negros, Southern Tagalog, and Central Luzon have set up a camp-out protest in front of the DENR office to highlight the destructive impact of renewable energy and so-called “green” projects. The eviction of the kampuhan reflects not just the indifference of DENR but also its criminal complicity in greenlighting extractive operations that pollute the environment, destroy the livelihoods of farmers and fisherfolk, and exacerbate the harsh consequences of the climate crisis.
Marcos and DENR ordered the removal of the kampuhan to whitewash their crimes. They are desperately seeking to downplay their accountability for the rampant corruption and intensified plunder of our resources linked to mining, quarrying, dredging, reclamation, and the suspicious hasty rollout of foreign-sponsored renewable energy investments across the country.
Marcos is afraid that the existence of the kampuhan will further expose his ineptness and the failure of his administration to adequately prepare for the devastating impact of Super El Niño. The kampuhan symbolizes the people’s fury against the corrupt, repressive, and anti-poor policies and programs of Marcos. His subservience to foreign plunderers and war criminals is laid bare in the red carpet welcome being readied for the visit of Donald Trump next month while ramping up the threats and intimidations against residents affected by mining operations for the Pax Silica hub in Central Luzon.
Marcos is traitorously offering our land, water, and energy resources for free to foreign plunderers while our people are made to beg for water supply and other basic services.
Bayan calls for indignation protests against the eviction of the kampuhan. Let us defy tyranny by defending the kampuhan and joining the peasant communities in the march to Malacanang to hold Marcos accountable.
Lupa sa magsasaka, hindi sa Pax Silica!
Tunay na reporma sa lupa, ipaglaban!
Pyudalismo, ibagsak!
Makibaka, huwag matakot!