MEMORIES: EARLY LIFE, STUDIES, INVOLVEMENTS & PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
In early 1970, PANELFU has strengthened its educational and organizational efforts in different villages and municipalities in Iloilo and Panay. PANELFU leadership were pushing hard the Land Reforms efforts – leasehold contracts for members, and demanding sharing basis of 75 per cent for the farmer and 25 percent share for land owners.
This possible arrangement will change the tenancy system that provides a 50-50 per cent shares of harvest per crop year. The leasehold system, will gave the leasehold farmers more independence on the management of their farm. They will be freed from interference by the landowner, including asking them to worked in their households and other family activities..
This time in May 1970, Nenita Dagohoy and her husband, William decided to pushed hard for land reforms in their farms. They will worked for the new sharing systems of – 75% share for themselves and 25% shares for their landlord.
Most rice farms in Dingle were first class land. There were irrigation and palay were planted three crops a year. Mrs. Nenita Dagohoy has two farms, one was upland. The other farm was irrigated. Both were planted with rice. Nenita Dagohoy was president of 15 chapters of PANELFU in Dingle. Seminars were held these farms to train members for strong organized efforts in the implementation of land reforms.
That morning in May 20, 1970, Mrs. Nenita Dagohoy wrote a letter to the land owner. In her letter, she said: “This crop year, we will implement Land Reforms according to law. We request you to follow the provision of the Land Reforms Law. We will handle all cost of productions. After harvest, we will get 75 per cent share of the harvest. You will get the 25 per cent. This is the law”. Nenita Dagohoy signed her letter. She sent it to the land owner by Registered Mail.
After receiving the letter, we heard the landowner was furious. Yes, they were very angry. The land owners decided to take position of the land. He and his wife made a hard decision. They will take over position of the uppland rice farm. The land owner will fight legal and extra legal battles. They will took position of the area farmed by Mr. and Mrs. Dagohoy.
To assert their rights, the landowners plowed the field with a big tractor. They harrowed the farm immediately. Then, they get many workers to plant sugar cane seedlings on the whole fields, nearly two hectares. They get workers from several villages. William and Nenita Dagohoy just watched, as sugar canes were planted on their rice field. They did not move. They kept silent. The sugar canes were planted. It started to sprout.
The Dagohoy’s planned their moves silently and secretly. They prepared for a hard and strong struggle. They will make a peaceful fight to recover their lost rice field. Secretly, they sowed rice seeds in another village. They hope to plan rice seedlings in their farms by 2nd week of June. They made sure, the land owner do not know they have a ready rice seedlings. With the rains that came, they mobilized the members of PANELFU in Dingle, who were trained to be ready. They plowed and harrowed the field already planted with sugar cane seedlings that were already growing during the night.
Then with nearly a hundred PANELFU members from different villages, they immediately planted rice seedlings as sunlight comes. By 10 oclock that morning, many of fields with sprouting sugar canes the day before, were planted fully with rice seedlings. More than a hundred farmers, men and women who were PANELFU members stood guard nearby. The land owners did not move. They felt it was risky for them to move. It was a strong, dramatic and decisive move by the farmers and PANELFU members.
Frank Carilimdiliman took pictures of the rice fields. It was now planted with rice seedlings. They sent a letter and pictures to the officials of the Department of Agrarian Reforms. The landowners were not able to move. The farm was very peaceful. The members of PANELFU were in the houses nearby. It was a fight of nerves. It was a battle for legal position of the leased lands. Members of PANELFU helped guard and secure Nenita Dagohoy’s farm. They made sure, no tractor will enter the rice field and plant sugar cane again. It was a battle of minds, hearts and nerves.
The landowners filed complaints in the Provincial Court of Iloilo. Atty.Nicolas Centeno and Atty.Cesar Beloria faced the landowners and fought the case of the Dagohoy’s in the provincial court. The legal fight started and continued for years. But the position of land was now in the hands of William and Nenita Dagohoy. When it was time to harvest, the Dagohoy’s sent a letter to the owner.
They asked the land owners to come and witnessed the harvest. If they will not come, the Dagohoy’s will get 75% of the harvest. The 25 perccent share of the landowners, will be deposited in the Municipal Hall of Dingle. It happened that way. The land owner did not get their share of harvest deposited in the municipal treasurer\s office. Many farmers followed the Dagohoy’s experiments Dingle and in other municipalities in Iloilo. . Several farms were freed from the aged - old tenancy system if 50-50% sharing of rice harvests on tenanted lands..
Frank Carilimdiliman and me, continued our educational and organizational seminars, helping farmers on land reform laws. We focused on provisions that gave farmers 75% share of harvests with 25% share for the landlords. During that time, sharing systems was 50-50%. It was a hard. But some farmers decided to apply the land reform laws in the farms they were working.
Atty. Centeno continued to fight the cases of farmers in the courts. There were many successes. Many farmers in several towns in Iloilo and Panay succeeded to get 75% share of the farm harvests. But it was hard fights in the courts. It was harder fighting and asserting rights for the farms. It needs courage and determinations. Many farmers succeeded. Some farmers gave- up, specially when armed men were mobilized by the landowners to take position of the land like some villages in Oton, Iloilo.What happened in Oton. The tenant farmer fought his case in court.
But the landowner, mobilized a group of armed men and went to the house of the tenant. They told the tenant to stop working in his farm.Or he will be buried right there in his farm. The tenant went to PANELFU Office. But there were only 3 organized farmers have joined PANELFU in Oton. And they were not yet trained well. The tenants did not have the will power to fight the landowners armed men. Later, the tenant left the farm. He was afraid of the landlords armed men.
In September 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. And to appease the restive peasants in the country, he declared Land Reforms in rice and corn producing areas. These were used by President Marcos as base of his political control. The Department of Land Reforms was organized through the President's directive. The first Director of the governments Land Reform programs was headed by Atty. Viadora. He worked hard with his men, to push harder the new land reforms law in the country.
We at PANELFU continued our works organizing peasants, not anymore to get 75% of the harvests. We organized them so that the land they were farming will be awarded to them under the new Land Reform Law. The possibility to own the tenanted or leased by farmers, who were organized was now more easier. But it was a hard battle to fight.
Now, 48 years have passed and some lands owned by land owners were Land Reform areas. But the big lands in the country remained untouched. Like, those owned by the Cojuangco and Aquino families in Tarlac. They were not touched by the Philippine Land Reforms Law.
The struggle for land reforms continues. Our generation has failed to win the struggle. But the younger generations, hopefully will fight and continue to fight to recover the lands given by God to all Filipino people. But unfortunately, taken over by the rich and powerful, the sons and daughters of Spaniards and Americans, who controlled our country;s lands and our other resources until today.
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