By Europhia Ann Monforte
IN PHOTO: Farmers from Occidental Mindoro, delivered a speech during the nationwide program at Liwasang Bonifacio.
Progressive organizations and farmers from Southern Tagalog gathered at Liwasang Bonifacio on October 21 for the nationwide protest “Baha sa Liwasang Bonifacio Hanggang Mendiola” (“Flood from Liwasang Bonifacio to Mendiola”) in commemoration of Peasant Month 2025.
Before proceeding to Liwasang Bonifacio, the delegation held a regional protest in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to mark the anniversary of Presidential Decree 27, implemented under the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., which the groups described as a “bogus land reform.”
Protesters in front of the Department of Agriculture (DA) building burned an effigy representing the “US-Marcos-Duterte regime” to protest what they claim is widespread corruption and neglect of farmers’ welfare.
The Southern Tagalog contingent later joined the main program at Liwasang Bonifacio, where progressive organizations focused their calls on government accountability and anti-corruption measures.
Among the participants was Sonny Sinigmayon, a Mangyan-Iraya from Sitio Malatabako, Occidental Mindoro, who joined the protest to defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples to live peacefully on their ancestral lands.
Sinigmayon shared that their community faced military harassment and the destruction of crops, adding that they had been “driven away from our own land.”
“Noong 2020, maayos ang kalagayan namin. Ngayong 2023–2024 nangyari yung kahirapan, ikinulong kami sa bakod at biglaan na lang silang [militar] dumating. Para kaming […] tinaboy sa sariling lugar namin,” said Sinigmayon.
The Mangyan-Iraya people of Sitio Malatabako, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, have long resided on their ancestral domain, which was recognized by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). However, the Pieceland Corporation has since laid claim to over 30 hectares of the same land, which it allegedly purchased.
Residents accused the corporation’s armed guards of enforcing blockades, destroying crops, and filing fabricated charges against community members in an alleged attempt to forcibly evict them from their land.
“Hindi lang kami lumalaban para sa aming lugar, kundi para sa lahat ng inaagawan ng lupa,” Sinigmayon added.
Together with groups from across the country, the Southern Tagalog delegation reiterated calls for genuine agrarian reform, immediate compensation for farmers, increased funding for the agricultural sector, the repeal of outdated policies, and an end to militarization in rural communities.