Members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and the National Federation of Sugar Workers will meet with representatives of the provincial government of Negros Occidental Tuesday to discuss the situation of the peasants and laborers in the province, its spokesperson, Greg Ratin, said yesterday.

Ratin said they will present to the government the problems faced by farmworkers during the dialog and it will also be an opportunity to demand that the government protect their rights.

He said they will also take up the land-grabbing issue in Hacienda Ilimnan, Brgy. Sta. Rosa, Murcia where the Negros First Ranch is located.

When the province took over the land, the peasants lost their opportunities to till their lands and to sustain their livelihood, Ratin claimed.

They also want the government to address the problem of food security because, at their level, food is scarce, adding that many of the farmworkers are victims of insufficient wages, Ratin also said.

The group is also pushing for the genuine land reform to address the needs of the peasants, he said.

After the dialog, KMP and NFSW members will march from the Provincial Capitol Lagoon to the Fountain of Justice at the Luzuriaga Street, in the downtown area and hold a rally, he added. *LTG

back to top