Pesante-USA
November 28, 2006

STOP THE POLITICAL KILLINGS NOW!

Los Angeles --

Once more, with deep sadness, the Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-U.S.A vigorously condemns the November 27, 2006 murder of Anthony Licayo , president of Gunglo Dagiti Mannalon peasant association in Cabirauan, Gonzaga, Cagayan Valley.

Licayo has barely succeeded Joey Javier, past president of Gunglo Dagiti Mannalon who was also mercilessly murdered by Philippine military operatives in Bagunot, Cagayan just several days ago.

Anthony Licayo's death is the 791th political killing in the Philippine archipelago since Gloria Arroyo took office in 2000-- the same year that George Bush was appointed by the US Supreme Court as US president.

Members of KMP (Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas), the leading progressive peasant association in the country are the victims of systematic deadly attacks by US trained Philippine military rogue police and paramilitary rogue murderers.

In the lush Cagayan Valley where large tracts of feudal haciendas still exist, peasants are becoming savvy to the power of inspired, unified action. Since genuine power is never ever handed voluntarily, entrenched landlords, bureaucrat capitalist-politicians aided by brainwashed US trained Philippine military --- secretly and openly collude to attack the peasants as well as undermine peasant unity by bribery, intimidation or murder.

Courageous Cagayan Valley farmers and peasants have four centuries of revolutionary tradition in leading grassroots uprising all over the Philippine archipelago dating back 300 years during Spanish colonization from 1580 to 1896. In the last half century, at the height of the Marcos fascist regime, Cagayanos fiercely contested several anti people -- privatization projects like the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the Japanese funded Cagayan Integrated Agricultural project (CIADP) as well as numerous paramilitary murders and voter suppression programs.

In the 1980's the peasants of Isabela demanded land and genuine land reform from the oppressive Santa Isabel and San Antonio Haciendas. At present, Cagayanos continue to demand justice against land grabbing by the corrupt Philippine government and the politically entrenched Cojuanco corporation which is owned by the extended family of former President Cory Aquino.

Peasants of Cagayan paid the ultimate price during the darkest days of the Marcos regime. In East Cagayan, more than 200 farmers were gunned down by the military from 1980 to 1986 Over 600 Cagayanos in western Apayao, died for freedom. The bloody hands of fascist military thugs and despotic landlords continue to spill more peasant blood as we write this words.

The Philippine military has burned the radio station in Baggao, Cagayan twice in in the past twenty years. The Philippine military continues to kill peasant leaders and suppress Cagayan Valley peasant voices.

Meanwhile, the peasants continue to struggle for dignity and freedom.

The death of Licayo and Javier as well as other sons and daughters of Cagayan Valley will not stop the people. The fight for genuine land reform continues. The Cagayanos are determined to cut the shackles of their bounded and stolen lives.

Pesante-USA salutes them. Pesante has sworn to support the just struggle of the KMP workers, peasants and all oppressed peoples in the Philippines and anywhere else in this world.

According to the great Martin Luther King, Jr. "the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice. "

There is no doubt that sooner or later, all perpetrators of crimes against the people of the bountiful and beautiful Cagayan Valley will face Justice. We shall overcome.

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