By ANDRES AGTALON
Spokesperson, Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid
The Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid – National Democratic Front of the Philippines (PKM, National Peasants Association) today warned that President Aquino and his uncle, San Miguel Corporation chair Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. are about to face the wrath of small coconut farmers on the issue of the multi-billion peso coconut levy funds.
The NDFP-allied farmers’ organization issued the warning after reports confirmed that the Aquino administration is planning to use the coco levy funds to finance the counter-insurgency-directed conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.
“The revolutionary peasantry warns the uncle-and-nephew tandem of Aquino and Cojuangco that this conspiracy and seemingly endless schematic plunder of the coco levy funds will face the wrath of small coconut farmers,” says PKM spokesperson Andres Agtalon.
“The Filipino peasantry will frustrate Aquino and Cojuangco’s maneuvers to deny small coconut farmers of their legitimate and rightful claims over the multi-billion coco levy funds,” Agtalon said.
The PKM also said that “aside from demanding the immediate return of the coco levy funds, small coconut farmers can launch struggles demanding the Aquino government to turn-over all coco levy-financed assets to genuine small coconut farmers.”
Agtalon also called on the peasantry to intensify the struggle against the continuing feudal and semi-feudal exploitation inflicted by Aquino’s landlord regime against all small coconut farmers.
He said small coconut farmers must continue, under the general framework of agrarian revolution, struggle against landlord-monopoly of vast tracts of coconut lands, for the abolition of the resicada system, for the increase of wages of farm workers in coconut plantations, and against the massive logging of coconut trees.
“At the same time, the revolutionary peasantry in guerrilla bases, along with the New People’s Army, can plan the coordinated and clandestine take-over of coconut oil mills established and bought using the coconut levy funds that is now controlled by Cojuangco and the Aquino government,” Agtalon said.