Ka Frank Fernandez, National Democratic Front-Negros spokesman, yesterday called the initiative of Gov. Isidro Zayco to alleviate the plight of sugar workers during the dead season “a short time reprieve and diversion in addressing the problem of poverty and hunger.”

Zayco this week announced that the provincial government is allocating P15 million for a food for work program during the lean months in the sugar industry where workers will be paid with rice.

The Provincial Sugar Industry Task Forces is also seeking the release by the Department of Labor and Industry of forfeited Sugar Amelioration Funds to help the farm workers over the dead season.

Task Force chairman Enrique Miguel Lacson initially said they were seeking the release of P30 million for rice subsidy but the DOLE this week said the unreleased amount is only P16 million.

The proposal for a P30 million subsidy program will only end up in the pockets of politicians for their political ambitions in the upcoming 2010 elections, Ka Frank said.

“If there is aid coming, it will only be for a few kilos of rice for the farm workers, this is only a drop in the bucket compared to the lion’s share of the landlords who are in fact in control of the reactionary power here in Negros,” he said.

He said the governor is only diverting the real issue from the farm workers and the other oppressed classes and sectors of society. It’s not only for a few months that farmworkers experience hunger but the whole 12 months in a year because they have no land to till from the pro-landlord CARP, Ka Frank added.

He also said the workers can barely survive the extremely low wages caused the worsening semi feudal exploitation in the countryside through the contractual system and the spiraling increase in the prices of rice and other basic needs.

Zayco must also understand that the pain of hunger is also suffered by the thousands of tenant farmers and settlers, fishermen, workers and employees that are now jobless, squatters in the cities and the youth, he said.

Ka Frank also charged that in order that the large tracts of land of the Zaycos in Kabankalan City would not be covered by CARP, the governor and his kin applied for a re-classification scheme so that their land will not be covered by land reform and be transformed instead into commercial and industrial zones.

The governor said he had no property reclassified during his term as mayor of Kabankalan, and his family’s property had been reclassified as urban areas before he became a politician, and before the passage of CARP.

As to Ka Frank’s statements on the Capitol’s moves for  the dead season,  Zayco said he respects the rebel leader’s  right to air his views, but the provincial government will just go ahead with its mitigating measures to help farm workers.*CPG

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