Farmers from Central Luzon launched a protest-caravan and camp-out this morning at the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Central Office to dialogue with DAR and denounce the massive land use conversion and land grabbing displacing thousands of farmers and rural families in the region.

The protest-caravan will highlight cases of forced eviction, corporate land grabs, and the government’s role in facilitating agrarian injustice through policies that favor business interests over farmers’ rights.

Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) chairperson Ariel Casilao said the protest will expose DAR’s complicity in allowing agricultural lands to be converted for infrastructure, industrial, and real estate projects. As of late, renewable energy (RE) projects disguised as green initiatives are being used for massive land grabbing and land speculation.

“Central Luzon, once the country’s top rice granary, is being transformed into a hub for expressways, airports, ecozones, and mega infrastructure projects that drive farmers off their land. DAR, instead of protecting agrarian reform beneficiaries, is enabling big businesses to take over productive farmlands,” Casilao stated.

Among the key issues to be raised are the conversion of Hacienda Luisita lands into an economic zone, the displacement of farmers in Tarlac and Pampanga due to solar farms and real estate expansion, and the violent evictions of rural communities in Sitio Balubad, Angeles City among other land use conversions in Bulacan and reclamation in Zambales

UMA along with the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL) is demanding an immediate moratorium on land use conversion and urgent action from DAR to halt all pending conversion applications affecting agricultural lands in Central Luzon. The group also calls on DAR to uphold the rights of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) and ensure land tenure security for farmers.

Farmers from Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, and Zambales will bring their demands directly to DAR officials. The protest caravan is part of a broader campaign to expose and resist land grabbing under the Marcos Jr. administration.

#StopLandUseConversion

#ResistLandGrabbing

#SaveTheRiceGranary

#LandToTheTillers

#CLKampuhan2025