Farmers: "We were promised P20K livelihood aid, rice"

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 23): Farmers: "We were promised P20K livelihood aid, rice"

More than 200 of the farmers who trooped here on Thursday night were duped by organizers they will receive one sack of rice from the local government, officials said Saturday.

Roberto Bagong, municipal disaster risk reduction and management council (MDRRMC) officer of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, said the farmers from his town were not informed about the protest action at the SOCCSKSARGEN regional center where about 2,000 farmers from other parts of Region 12 converged to demand for rice from the Department of Agriculture (DA-12) here.

"They were told that if they want to receive one sack of rice from the government and a Php 20,000 livelihood assistance, they should board the hauler truck from Lake Sebu town to nearby Surallah where the distribution will take place," Bagong said in Filipino.

"Upon reaching Surallah town, they were told not to disembark from the truck and wait for further instruction," he added. "Later in the afternoon of Thursday, they were told that rice distribution will take place in Koronadal City, so they agreed to go here and stayed overnight along the national highway," Bagong said.

On Friday morning, they were hauled again to the regional center located in Barangay Carpenter Hills where tents were put up and told to wait for rice distribution.

"After we were told, the local government 'rescued' them, all those from Lake Sebu, and brought back to town where rice distribution will take place Monday," Bagong said, adding that the only authorized to distribute rice for drought victims is the Philippine National Red Cross as provided for under Omnibus Election Code.

South Cotabato has been placed under state of calamity due to long dry spell.

Bagong said the farmers belonging to the Indigenous Peoples sector were from the villages of Tasiman, Lamfugon and Ned, in Lake Sebu.

After they were given breakfast by the Lake Sebu MDRRMC, they were sent back home.

"Akala namin may bigas at livelihood assistance, pagdating namin dito rally pala, ayaw namin ganito mabuti kinuha kami ng LGU namin," said Jerome Blasan, one of the farmers from Barangay Tasiman, Lake Sebu.

"We were told by organizers whom we do not know personally, to bring extra clothes because the distribution of livelihood assistance my take some time," he added.

Another farmer from Saranggani province, Sonia Bastida, 45, said the organizers told them to join the rally so they can receive Php 20,000 livelihood assistance and one sack of rice.

"That is why we boarded the truck to join the protest because life back home was really hard (due to drought)," Bastida, a corn farmers, told reporters.

Supt. Barney Condes, Koronadal City police chief, said the local police were exercising maximum tolerance to prevent violence.

"So far the protest action is peaceful and no untoward incident have occurred," Condes said. "We remained on alert following reports of possible communist infiltration."

Rally organizers said they would only leave the regional center if South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Fuentes would come and talk to them.

But Fuentes said she could not talk to farmers outside her province. She said only 10 percent of the more than 2,000 protesters were from South Cotabato.

The rest were from Saranggani, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and as far as Bukidnon.

Region 12 or known as SOCCSKSARGEN region is composed of the provinces of South and North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Saranggani and the cities of Cotabato, Kidapawan, Tacurong, Koronadal and Gen. Santos.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=878831