Farmer-members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan (AMB) marched to Mendiola alongside workers and other sectors in commemoration of Labor Day, demanding for a Php1,200 national living wage and genuine land reform. Their demands echoed louder than ever in the midst of a chronic rice crisis that has rendered even the most basic staple unaffordable for millions of Filipinos.

While the Marcos administration has promised to bring down rice prices and increase domestic production, peasant groups argue that without addressing the national demands of farmers such as free land distribution and strengthening of local agriculture and production — these are empty promises. Marcos Jr. and the Department of Agriculture only self-sabotaged the rice industry with its perpetuation of the Rice Liberalization Law (RLL) that has proven to only do more harm to rice producers rather than its projected “gains” from rice import tariffs. The short-lived implementation of the “Bente Bigas Mo” has been utterly exposed as a cruel electioneering scam, and unsustainable in the long run due to the catastrophic effects of the RLL and a liberalized rice industry with insufficient local production and rice supply.

The demand for a Php1,200 national living wage reflects the rising cost of living, with workers’ groups citing that the current regional wage rates—ranging between Php350 to Php610 per day—are far below what is necessary to live decently. Wage rates in the agricultural sector are even much lower to the point of inhumane. For landless farmers, many of whom rely on seasonal, contractual, or informal labor, their livelihood can be even more precarious.

At the heart of this year’s Labor Day mobilization is the reaffirmation of the basic alliance between farmers and workers—two of the most exploited sectors under the current economic system. The historic struggle for genuine land reform and national industrialization remains true and necessary to break out the semi-colonial and semi-feudal quandary of the Filipino people. Kilusang Mayo Uno celebrates its 45th year alongside KMP’s 40th year in 2025.

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