Philippines

Intensive use of land for food exports and biofuel production must not come at the expense of human rights in Southeast Asia, the United Nations warned.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and the Asian Peasant Coalition lambasted Nakeen Corporation, a company that operates a palm oil plantation in Misamis Oriental, for spreading lies and deception during their press conference held on May 17, 2012.

Dar Al-Maskukat Trading of Riyadh has requested a long-term land lease from the Philippines of up to 200,000 hectares of rain-fed government land and private farms to produce rice for the Saudi market.

Their land and means of livelihood were taken away from them, their culture trampled upon, all in the name of public-private partnerships and foreign corporate interests.

In the Philippines, Akbayan Party-list Representatives Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao and Walden Bello are pushing for a bill that regulates large scale foreign investments on land.

Southeast Asia has become ever more appealing to investors from both within and beyond the region seeking to include agriculture in their portfolios.

The Philippines and Qatar signed 4 bilateral agreements and one private sector agreement seen to boost cooperation in investments, tourism, fisheries and the legal field.

At least 100 farmers led by members of the Asian Peasant Coalition joined a protest in the Philippines against global land grabbing, calling on governments in Asia to stop devoting their lands to the food security of other nations

At least 100 farmers joined a protest in front of the Department of Agriculture in Quezon City led by the members of the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) in the Philippines such as the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), AMIHAN (National Federation of Peasant Women), UMA (Union of Agricultural Workers), and the PAMALAKAYA (National Federation of Small Fisherfolks of the Philippines). Also present is the Anakpawis partylist and the National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates (NNARA)-Youth.

Legislator calls for an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the $50-million joint-venture deal between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the AMA Group Holdings to operate a 10,000-hectare agricultural farm in Mindanao.

“This so-called joint venture smacks of land-grabbing and conflict of interest on the part of President Aquino’s political lieutenant in the Gulf.” – Danilo Ramos, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas

The militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) today called on the House of Representatives’ committees on agrarian reform and agriculture to conduct a probe and shoot down a $300-million land lease deal the government entered into with Bahrain.