Aiming to forward doable demands on the food crisis, farmers under the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) will join protests on the inauguration of Marcos Jr. as president this June 30.

“It is infuriating that Marcos Jr. has refused to unveil a concrete plan of action for the country’s raging food crisis. Such is a display of utter callousness or sheer ineptitude,” KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos says.

An SWS survey last April 2022 showed that 31 million families experienced hunger in the first quarter of 2022. This also revealed that Filipino families experiencing hunger have continuously increased since September 2021 despite claims of economic recovery amid decreasing COVID cases.

KMP is set to lay down a dozen concrete and doable demands that the incoming Marcos Jr. administration can accomplish in 100 days.

“As incoming President and Agriculture Secretary, there is a whole array of things Marcos Jr. can urgently accomplish for the sake of farmers and the country’s food security situation – the least of this is to let us speak out our issues and urgent demands,” Ramos stresses.

Echoing statements from various groups, the peasant leader slammed Acting Police Chief Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr.’s earlier proclamation that he will only allow “Mabuhay” protests on June 30.

“The right to express and peaceably assemble are Constitutionally guaranteed rights,” he points out.

“The incoming Marcos Jr. administration will face numerous problems, but its first challenge will be respecting a dissenting but peaceful protest,” Ramos reiterates.

KMP announced participation in the activities at the Liwasang Bonifacio on June 30. #