ILOCOS PEASANTS TO MARCH IN LAKBAYAN 2010

by PESANTE-USA Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010 at 1:01 PM
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The Pesante Buletin reported today that Ilocos peasants under the banner of Solidarity of Peasants against Exploitation (STOP Exploitation) shall join the annual Lakbayan 2010 March of the Landless from October 19 to 22 to register their support for Justice and genuine agrarian reform. According to NORDIS , the STOP Exploitation Chairperson Avelino Dacanay said over one hundred peasants from La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte will march in celebration of Peasant Month this October along with other peasant organizations in Luzon.

ILOCOS PEASANTS TO M...
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PESANTE BULETIN
October 18, 2010

ILOCOS PEASANTS TO MARCH IN LAKBAYAN 2010

Los Angeles—The Pesante Buletin reported today that Ilocos peasants under the banner of Solidarity of Peasants against Exploitation (STOP Exploitation) shall join the annual Lakbayan 2010 March of the Landless from October 19 to 22 to register their support for Justice and genuine agrarian reform.

According to NORDIS , the STOP Exploitation Chairperson Avelino Dacanay said over one hundred peasants from La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte will march in celebration of Peasant Month this October along with other peasant organizations in Luzon.

LAKBAYAN 2010

Lakbayan, coined from lakbay ng bayan or the peoples’ march was organized as a nationwide march of the peasant sector usually organized to commemorate January 19, the day peasants in a rally at Mendiola were shot at by the police leaving several of them dead. This came to be known as the Mendiola massacre which happened 23 years ago.

This month’s Lakbayan is in observation of the national Peasant’s month, led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) nationwide. Peasants and their local organizations in the provinces shall march to raise calls and issues on justice and genuine land reform to the 100 days- old administration under President Benigno Simeon Aquino.

For the Ilocos region peasants, Dacanay considered the activity a fitting venue to consolidate their ranks and register their collective support for the advancement of the peasants’ democratic rights and to protest the government’s lack of genuine agrarian program .

He added Lakbayan 2010 will be marked by the long march and protest for genuine agrarian reform and to protest against worsening military attacks against peasants and their organizations.

Luzon Island Wide Mobilization

According to Dacanay, the contingents from Southern Tagalog have started their march last October 14. He added that peasant groups from the Cordillera and Cagayan Valley regions will travel to Manila on October 18. He said the STOP Exploitation mobilization will be traveling on October 19 and join the Central Luzon contingents at Monumento in Caloocan City.

“Before heading to the Lakbayan, we will hold a dialogue with the municipal councilors of Sta.Lucia to call for the pull out of military troops in peasant communities,” he said.

Dacanay said over 10,000 people is expected to attend in the said activity. The various peasant organizations nationwide will march to the office of the Ombudsman, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Supreme Court in Manila and converge at Mendiola.

Among the organizations to join the March of the Landless are the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan, Alyansa Ng Magbubukid Sa Gitnang Luson, AMBALA, Danggayan dagiti Mannalon ti Cagayan Valley (Danggayan), STOP Exploitation, KMP Bicol, Pamalakaya, UMA, Amihan and Anakpawis Partylist.

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