Portraits of the Sumilao Marchers

Philippines is one of the countries that has the most problematic agrarian reform program. For over decades that this was implemented, lands that were supposed to be distributed to the farmers remain in the hands of the landlords. These landlords always find a way to circumvent the law. Most of them would guard their land with heavily armed men to keep the farmers away. While others would do tactics such as apply to convert their land into an industrial land despite it being categorized as prime agricultural land. This is the case of the Sumilao marchers.

The Sumilao marchers are these farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon who walked from their town to the Malacanang Palace in Manila hoping to meet the president and ask her to revoke the conversion order that was issued to their land. Besides being a prime irrigated land which their ancestors had tilled for years, for them this land is holy. The Sumilao farmers belong to a tribe called Higaonon and this is where they conduct their rituals.

And so they they travelled on foot 1,700 kilometres for more than two months to regain this land that rightfully belongs to them.

PAKISAMA's Role in the Campaign for the Reform and Extension of CARP (AVP/Music Video)

This is a short AVP/music video which I edited for a peasant organization, the Pambansang Samahan ng mga Kilusang Magsasaka. The footage belong to a friend, Lem de la Cruz of Kilusang Magsasaka, who documented the Banasi and the Sumilao farmer's "walk for land, walk for justice." This video was shown during PAKISAMA's 7th national congress. It portrays the organization's crucial role in the campaign for an effective agrarian reform law.