Progressive groups in Camarines Sur and the Bicol region condemned the provincial local government for prioritizing the costly Ka-ogma Festival 2026 instead of addressing the needs of farmers affected by the economic crisis and the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Bicol (KMB) and NNARA Youth Bicol said provincial governor Lray Villafuerte is grossly inutile, forcing the local government to borrow ₱200 million for aid while spending around ₱75 million for six days of concerts and entertainment activities.
They pointed out that Ka-ogma is the Villafuerte clan’s gimmick to cover up their greed for land and their oppression and exploitation of peasants in Camarines Sur.
The land grabbing and fencing off of 1,014.92 hectares of timberland in Barangay Salvacion, Siruma town by Villafuerte-owned Wanderlust Land Development Corporation were exposed in February. The forcible eviction of peasants and residents from 200 hectares of farmland and residential areas in the barangays of Cadlan, Sagurong, and San Jose in Pili to give way to the Uptown/Iconic Capitol, where the Kaogma Festival is now being held, was also exposed. A firing range and golf course is set to be constructed on this land. More than 100 families face displacement. The capitol continues to fence off the area, and the Provincial Security Unit intimidates peasants, preventing them from cultivating their land.
Peasants said they were dispossessed of their land even before they were given compensation and a relocation site. They were offered only ₱25,000 as compensation. The local government is also offering to buy their land at only ₱22 per square meter, despite the court’s ruling of ₱567 per square meter. Worse, the structures set for demolition include concrete houses built over decades from work as migrant laborers who have since returned to the country.
Balikatan-Salaknib-Kasangga in Camarines Sur also opened on May 25 in time with the Ka-ogma Festival to conceal from the public the sabotage of Philippine sovereignty. Villafuerte disregarded the safety of the people of Camarines Sur and the Bicol region. He is turning the province into collateral while farmers fear for their lives and livelihood, according to the groups.
“Farmers consider it not a KA-OGMA festival but a KA-UYAM* festival because the powerful in Camarines celebrate and dance on stage, while farmers weep under scorching sunlight and grieve over their suffering—the loss of the land they till and residents’ homes,” the groups explained.
“The issue is not simply about a festival or tourism through the Ka-ogma Festival. The issue is using public funds and whether local government spending responds to the people’s most urgent needs,” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Camarines Sur and Damayan nin Paraoma (DAMPA) Camarines Sur said.
The groups said public funds must not be used to build politicians’ image and strengthen their political machinery. These should be allocated for the welfare of the people who are the true source of the province’s wealth. Amid hardship, the people need social services and meaningful programs, not extravagant spectacles that merely cover up the real condition of the province.
“The real measure of development is not the number of fireworks, the size of the stage, or the number of artists brought in for a celebration. The real measure of development is when families have enough food, workers have decent jobs, peasants have security of land, and the people have reliable social services,” Bayan and DAMPA Camarines Sur explained.
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[*] In the Bicol language, “ka-uyam” means irritating, while “ka-ogma” means joy.
