The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), alongside workers, urban poor communities, and other sectors, joined the “Day of the Toiling Masses” on the 161st birthdate of Gat Andres Bonifacio today, marching from Liwasang Bonifacio to Mendiola to call for living wages, sustainable livelihood, and an end to skyrocketing prices of food and basic services. The mobilization, branded as a “day of reckoning” by the working class, also called for the impeachment of Sara Duterte over the misuse and abuse of public funds, the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte for his role in the bloody war on drugs, and accountability from the Marcos administration for the worsening economic and political crisis in the country.

The ongoing feud between the Duterte and Marcos political camps highlights their shared failure to address the country’s deepening social crises. While these factions trade barbs and maneuver for power, issues like poverty, landlessness, unemployment, and the soaring cost of living continue to spiral out of control. Their obsession with political survival and vendettas leaves millions of Filipinos—especially farmers and other marginalized sectors—struggling in the wake of successive disasters.

“Sa oras na ito, daan-daang libong magsasaka sa Bicol, Southern Tagalog, at Cagayan Valley ang hindi pa nakakaani. Nilubog sa baha at habagat ang kanilang kabuhayan. Hanggang ngayon, ni isang kusing, wala silang natatanggap na tulong. Ang mas masahol, imbes na mabigyan ng lupa, inaagawan pa sila nito,” said Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos, KMP National Chairperson.

Farmers bear the brunt of the climate crisis. From 2010 to 2019, 63% of the damages caused by typhoons and other climate-related disasters were borne by the agricultural sector. The recent El Niño phenomenon alone caused PHP 15.3 billion in agricultural losses, affecting 333,195 farmers and fishers nationwide. Despite these hardships, government support remains dismal. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recently reported a nearly 11% year-on-year drop in the average cost of palay production, falling below ₱14 per kilo—a clear reflection of the worsening plight of rice farmers.

Today also marks the second death anniversary of Ericson Acosta, a people’s poet, musician, and tireless advocate for farmers’ rights. Acosta, a former political prisoner and peace consultant for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), was reportedly captured alive and later extrajudicially killed by the 94th Infantry Battalion in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental. During the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP, Acosta served as a key resource person on agrarian reform and rural development under the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER). By 2018, Acosta had immersed himself fully in Negros, working alongside farmers and hacienda workers in their struggles for land and justice.

The KMP reiterates its calls for urgent relief, genuine agrarian reform, and accountability from the Marcos regime. Farmers will continue to resist policies and actions that worsen their suffering and will remain steadfast in their fight for land, justice, and a dignified future. #

Artwork by Ivan Reverente.