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[av_heading heading=’LETTER TO THE EDITOR | In the interest of food sovereignty’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Thusday, June 1, 2017
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THE People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) condemns the declaration of martial law by President Rodrigo Duterte in Mindano, the country’s second biggest island.
As an international coalition of farmers, indigenous peoples and small-scale food producers fighting for food sovereignty, PCFS is calling on Duterte to immediately junk the proclamation and not to expand it to cover other regions of the Philippines and the entire country.
While the Duterte government attempts to justify the declaration of martial law in the entire Mindanao island on the basis of the armed actions of small groups of extremist Muslims, its Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana has already stated that even revolutionary group New People’s Army will be a target of the military’s operations in the island.
History has shown that attempts to militarily defeat the NPA, especially under martial law, have resulted in widespread human-rights violations against communities and organizations accused of being supportive of the Communist-led armed group. It has also resulted in attacks against Moro organizations fighting for self-determination and liberation. It has meant more cases of extra-judicial killings, abductions, warrantless arrests, and militarization, hamletting and bombing of communities. It has meant greater leeway for the operations of monopoly-capitalists, including agrocorporations, in the Philippines.
The declaration of martial law therefore goes against Duterte’s ongoing peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and Moro National Liberation Front. It goes against efforts to talk peace in order to address the socio-economic root causes of the armed rebellions in the country, especially in Mindanao. It means a return to the militarist mindset of trying to militarily quash armed rebellions instead of addressing their root causes in widespread poverty, hunger, landlessness and joblessness.
Furthermore, the declaration of martial law will further strengthen the pro-US, militarist and rightist elements in the Duterte government. It will further marginalize patriotic and progressive elements in the Duterte government. It therefore bodes ill for the patriotic and progressive measures being promised by Duterte. It will mean intensified attacks on food sovereignty activists in the Philippines and on struggles for food sovereignty.
Even commentators in the country say that the declaration is an overkill, as current powers of the military are enough to quell the armed actions of the Maute Group and Abu Sayyaf, groups seeking links with the international group Islamic State.
Even Duterte himself has previously stated that martial law is a “stupid” policy that did not improve the lives of Filipinos. During the Local Government Summit of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao held in Davao City last Dec. 1, 2016, he said that the country’s experience with martial law did not benefit the people and that martial law can never be a solution to terrorism.
Now that he has changed his mind, however, it is only justifiable that he is held accountable for every human rights violation and other abuse that will result from his martial law declaration.
PCFS support all struggles of Filipino food sovereignty activists and the Filipino people against Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao. We are calling on all food sovereignty activists and organizations around the world to take a stand against Duterte’s martial law in Mindanao, for a just and lasting peace, and in the interest of food sovereignty activists in the Philippines and the Filipino people. – PEOPLE’S COALITION ON FOOD SOVEREIGNTY <secretariat@foodsov.org, secretariat.foodsov@gmail.com)
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