Who are the peasants in the Philippines, and why are they targets of state violence?

Who are the peasants in the Philippines?

Peasants are the farmers, fisherfolk and agricultural workers who cultivate the land and produce the majority of the country’s food. Peasants makeup the majority of the population, but also constitute  the poorest class in the the Philippines. The majority of peasants do not own the land they till and struggle to afford food to eat. Peasants are subject to poverty due to landlessness, government neglect and Face the brunt of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. 

Who owns the land in the Philippines?

Spanish colonialism imposed a feudal land system in the Philippines, a system the US still maintains today through neoliberal economic policy that keeps land in the hands of big domestic landlords and foreign businesses. Peasants may live on that land in exchange for service and labor. In order to profit from cheap labor and raw materials, landlords regularly subject the peasants to high tariffs, high rent, and poor working conditions. Some peasants are required to rent or borrow the tools they use to farm from the landlords, and many peasants become deep in debt. This is why the Philippines is known as “semi-feudal” even today.

Why do peasants call for genuine land reform?

Genuine agrarian land reform means redistributing the land back to the tillers who work the land. This would grant the peasantry control over production and farming systems, and would become the backbone of natural industrialization. It would also be the solution to the immense poverty that the peasants are currently living in as they would no longer be subject to economic exploitation by the ruling elites who own the land. 

To date, there have been several bogus land reform programs that do not actually give the land back to the tillers. These government programs are ineffective and largely for show. In fact, the programs pave the way for land-grabbing, where landlords and foreign capitalists purchase more agricultural land and continue their exploitation of the peasant working class. 

How does counter-insurgency affect peasants?

In order to quell any and all forms of resistance to the ruling system, the Philippine state carries out so-called “counter-insurgency” programs, which frequently violate International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by conflating civilian activists with armed combatants.

Peasants in the countryside face the brunt of IHL violations in the context of this “counter-insurgency” strategy, because their struggle for land reform is a threat to the monopoly land ownership and big foreign companies which the Philippine state protects.

How does counter-insurgency affect peasants? (cont)

As presented in the verdict of the International People’s Tribunal earlier this year, civilian peasants in remote communities around the country are subject to indiscriminate bombings, strafing, hamletting, fabricated & forced surrender, red-tagging, abduction, and killing at the hands of the military.

Some peasants who take up arms against the state are also victims of IHL violations. Members of the New People’s Army, a revolutionary army made up primarily of peasant fighters, are frequently tortured or murdered after being taken as prisoners of war by the Philippine army.

Who is Fhobie Matias?

In the past year, dozens of peasant leaders and activists have been subject to harassment, red-tagging, and enforced disappearance by the Philippine state. The Marcos Jr. regime has disappeared at least 15 individuals since June 2022, and most of the victims have never been heard from again.

One of the most recent victims of enforced disappearance is Fhobie Matias, a peasant organizer and member of KASAMA-TK. Fhobie was abducted by members of the military on September 28, 2024, and her whereabouts remain unknown. Her disappearance adds to the long list of attacks against peasant organizers in Southern Tagalog.

How can you support the peasant movement?

This month, ICHRP calls upon people all over the world to learn about the situation of peasants in the Philippines and join us in a month of solidarity. You can learn more about the peasant movement in the Philippines by viewing our info webinar from October 15, and you can provide support directly to peasant organizers through our fundraiser. More info about our peasant month is available here.

Support the Filipino People’s Call for Genuine Land Reform!
Stop the Attacks Against Filipino Peasants!
Oppose State Terrorism in the Philippines!

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