Peace caravan troops to Manila to present Mindanao issues to Duterte

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – A contingent of 3,900 farmers and sectoral representatives from Mindanao are making their way to Manila by road for the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte on July 25, 2016.

 

The group spent the 2^nd day of their Lakabayan para sa Kapayapaan or “Peace Caravan” in Tacloban City on Wednesday, July 20. More than 100 buses and support vehicles left Cagayan de Oro on Tuesday, July 19.

 

Datu Jomorito Goaynon, chairperson of Kalumbay Lumad Organization said over the phone that peace caravan aims to raise awareness about the plight of the people of Mindanao ahead of the SONA.

 

Guaynon added that they will voice out the issues raised by the different sectors of society in Mindano, including peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines, agriculture, rights to self determination of the indigenous peoples, education, and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States government which includes the use of Lumbia Airport for US military equipment.

 

“This is part of our campaign to push for change, which are aligned with President Duterte’s promises during the campaign season,” Guaynon said.

 

Change is coming

 

In Tacloban, multisector representatives and interfaith groups – many of whom survived super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) welcomed the caravan.

 

The caravan will be in Legazpi City, Albay on Thursday July 21 and will spend the night in Naga City at the Robredo Coliseum before moving on to the University of the Philippines – Los Banos, where farmers from Southern Tagalog will join them.

 

The caravan will then depart for Metro Manila on July 23, two days before the SONA.

 

Ireneo Udarbe, regional spokesperson of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas – Nortern Mindanao (KMP-NM) said one of the hotly contested issues they want to raise is the plight of peasant workers and the “flagrant disregard” for their rights. They also say workers also need to contend with the massive expansion of industrial plantations, the dry spell, and the destruction of the environment.

 

“We are one for genuine change, we wanted to raise this issues before the president because this issue needs genuine change to uplift the plight of the peasant workers,” Udarbe said.

 

Jade Etucas, chairperson of Anakbayan Northern Mindanao said that the government needs to address the concerns of 13,000 out-of-school youth (OSY) who were unable to enroll for Senior High School.

 

Etucas said that, while they support the administration of President Duterte, they want the government to deal with the problems caused by the implementation of the K-12 program.

 

Etucas believes the program will not raise the quality of education in the country and wants the government to repeal the program. – Rappler.com