The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) strongly denounces the passage of Senate Bill 2898 and House Bill 10755, which extend foreign land lease terms to a staggering 99 years. This legislation, touted as a “priority measure” and “a supposed centerpiece of Ferdinand Marcos Jr investment agenda”, is nothing short of a betrayal of Filipino farmers and an affront to the principles of national sovereignty and genuine agrarian reform. Farmers demand that Marcos Jr veto this detestable measure once it reaches Malacanang.

Danilo Ramos, KMP chairperson, lambasted the measure, stating, “A 99-year lease is virtually equivalent to perpetual foreign control over our lands. These bills sell out our nation’s patrimony to foreign interests at the expense of Filipino farmers and rural communities. “Allowing foreign investors to lease land for almost a century jeopardizes national sovereignty, food security, and the rights of farmers. It institutionalizes policies that perpetuate land monopoly and rural poverty. It is a stark reminder that Marcos Jr. serves as the chief representative of landlords and foreign corporations, not the Filipino people.”

The bill’s proponents argue that extended lease terms will attract foreign investments, particularly in tourism, agroforestry, and industrial projects. However, KMP warns of the devastating consequences this will have on local farmers and indigenous peoples, whose lands will be further subjected to speculative investments and land grabs.

Rafael Mariano, KMP chairperson emeritus and former DAR Secretary, emphasized: “This legislation disregards the rights of farmers and indigenous communities. It exposes our lands to the dangers of subleasing, displacement, and militarization under the guise of promoting foreign investment. History shows that farmers remain at the losing end of such policies, receiving meager compensation while their lands are exploited for profit.”

KMP pointed to historical abuses under similar land lease arrangements, where farmers and indigenous communities were displaced, and lands were converted into ecozones, plantations, and industrial parks. These projects have often led to militarization, human rights violations, and environmental destruction.

The KMP also pointed out the glaring contradictions in the bill. While it ostensibly aims to encourage development, it fails to address the root causes of poverty and underdevelopment in rural areas: landlessness and the absence of genuine agrarian reform. More than three decades after the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), nine out of ten farmers remain landless, and vast tracts of agricultural lands are still under the control of big landlords and corporations.

The land lease bills also highlights the glaring absence of a genuine land reform program in the Philippines. KMP reminded the public that the government” land distribution efforts under the bogus CARP have been dismal, with only 41% of private agricultural lands distributed in over 30 years. Meanwhile, the promise of free land distribution remains unfulfilled.

“Farmers are being driven to destitution while foreign corporations enjoy long-term privileges,”Ramos added. “This legislation is not about economic growth, it is about exploitation and commodification of land at the expense of our people” rights and livelihoods.”

KMP calls on the public to resist this anti-farmer, pro-foreign legislation and join the fight for genuine agrarian reform. “We demand free land distribution, not policies that deepen inequality and perpetuate landlessness,” Mariano concluded. ###