On the commemoration of 33rd year of Mendiola Massacre, farmers continue to demand for land, justice and peace

On January 22, 1987, 13 farmers were killed and scores were wounded during the heinous Mendiola Massacre after state authorities opened fire against thousands of farmers demanding for free land distribution from the then Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino presidency.

Fast forward to 2020, more than three decades after the Mendiola Massacre, Filipino farmers remain landless, living in poverty, and victims of extrajudicial killings and rights violations. To date, more than 240 farmers were killed under the Duterte presidency.

The year 2020 is posing more hardships and economic challenges to farmers and the rural people, especially with the successive calamities and disasters. Farmers believe the a genuine agrarian reform program that supports free land distribution and rural development will develop genuine resiliency and recovery of Filipinos.

Farmers also maintain that the Duterte administration has failed to address the most basic concerns of farmers, and this further justifies the resumption of the formal peace talks between the GRP and the NDFP to discuss and finalize the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms.