The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said farmers are justified in joining today’s Peoples SONA protests to declare Bongbong Marcos Jr administration’s epic failure in resolving the fundamental issues and lingering problems of the Philippine society — landlessness, poverty, hunger, unemployment and social injustice. “We can easily brand Marcos Jr’s Bagong Pilipinas as Bigong Pilipinas. Bongbong failed all his campaign promises especially the P20 per kilo of rice promise.”

According to KMP, today’s SONA is self-gratification for Bongbong Marcos Jr and his ilk. “As far as farmers and rural sectors are concerned, the real SONA is the actual daily sitiuation of the Filipino masses burdened with the worsening economic crisis. The intense political crisis and divisiveness of the Marcos and Duterte camps all the more contributes to the impoverishment of Filipinos,” according to KMP chairperson Danilo Ramos.

KMP also noted the greater divide between the rich and the poor under the Marcos Jr administration. The Villar family’s net worth balloned to P614 billion, Enrique Razon’s net worth reached P558 billion, the net worth of SMC’s Ramong Ang increased to P195 billion — or P1.4 trillion combined — equivalent to 22% of the entire economy’s net worth for Q1 2024.”While the elite are amassing greater wealth and power, ordinary Filipinos are stuck in a perennial quicksand of slave-like wages, jobless growth, and national debt, now worth more than P15 trillion. “Sa laki ng utang ng bansa na lampas 15 trilyong piso, bawat Pilipino may katumbas na utang na P113,000 bawat isa.”

Ramos added: “We expect Marcos to boast of importation and tariff reduction as solutions to the high rice prices. He is also likely to praise DA’s Solar Irrigation Program and DAR’s condonation program which rendered 743% increase in distribution of land titles. He will surely boast of Bigas 29 and the KADIWA stores, among others. However, these programs are not real solutions to the systemic problems. These are not even palliatives. Marcos Jr does not intend to change the situation and status quo to benefit his interests.”

“Sa Bagong Pilipinas, puro boladas ang maririnig ng masang Pilipino sa ikatlong SONA ni Marcos Jr. Kaya dapat magkaisa ang mamamayan para ipaglaban ang ating mga demokratikong karapatan para sa lupa, trabaho, kabuhayan at karapatan,” according to Ramos who is also one of the speakers in today’s Peoples SONA protest program along Commonwealth Avenue.

Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog farmers are joining the Bayan-led mobilization in Manila while similar actions and protestang magbubukid (farmers protests) are happening in Baguio City, Bicol provinces, Cebu City, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Davao City and other provinces and regions. #