CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY- Leaders of local farmers and fishermen from beleaguered communities around the country are undertaking a 60-Day national walk to raise awareness against corporate interests seeking to displace them from their ancestral domains.
The core group of 15 marchers include leaders from the Ubod na Manlalakbay of SAMBILOG – Balik Bugsuk Movement (SBBM); Stop Kaliwa Dam Network (Dumagat-Remontado Sierra Madre): Coalition of Municipal Fisherfolks Association (COMFAS) of Zamboanga Sibugay; and, Symbiotic Farmers Marketing Cooperative, and Sabang-Poocan Farmers and Fisherfolk Association Inc. (SAPOFFA), Semirara Island, Antique, accompanied by Senate bet Roberto “Ka Dodoy” Ballon and Randy Cirio, first nominee of the Pamilyang Magsasaka Partylist#8, in the walk dubbed “Lakad-Hubileo ng Pag-Asa: Laban sa Gutom, Kahirapan, at Kawalang-Katarungan Para sa Mabutign Pamamahala (Jubilee Walk Against Hunger, Poverty and Injustice for Good Governance.
“We aim to raise public awareness on our ongoing struggles against agrarian issues, fisheries, and indigenous communities including land grabbing, environmental destruction, and corporate aggression,” said PAKISAMA National Farmers Network ((Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka) Executive Director Raul Socrates “Soc” Banzuela who is acting as the group’s campaign coordinator. “We are also raising electoral issues to call for accountability and progressive policies that will truly serve the sectors of peasants and indigenous peoples.
The term “Development Aggression” was coined by indigenous peoples to describe how development projects (often state-sponsored or corporate) such as large dams, mining, logging, and plantations, violate the human rights of indigenous peoples, and negatively impact their communities leading to displacement, marginalization, and the loss of their lands and resources.
In a press briefing, the group related the threats to their various areas brought about by “Development Aggression” by Jewelmer Corporation and San Miguel Corporation in Bugsuk Island and its surrounding islets in Balabac, Palawan; Kaliwa Dam Project of China Energy Corporation within the ancestral domain of Sitio Cablao, Barangay Pagsangahan, General Nakar, Quezon, and Sitio Queborosa, Barangay Magsaysay, Infanta, Quezon; Open Coal pit mining on Semirara Island owned by DMCI which benefits China, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand (while coal-fired power plants in other parts of the Philippines are importing coal from China, Indonesia, and Australia), Kibaritan, Kalilangan, and Zamboanga Sibugay.
The Lakad Hubileo emphasizes the significant contribution of women in the struggle for land rights, livelihood, and dignity. At the same time, the travelers reiterated the main objectives of the march: 1. Recovery of 10,821 hectares of ancestral land of the Palawanon in Bugsuk; 2. Stopping the Kaliwa Dam Project that threatens the ancestral land of the Dumagat-Remontados; 3. Stopping destructive open pit coal mining in Semirara Island, Antique, that only benefits local profiteers and foreign buyers; and, 4. Assertion of the rights of small fishermen in the 15-kilometer municipal waters currently being encroached by large commercial fishing vessels to the detriment of municipal fisher folk.
The march started in Barangay Concepcion in Zamboanga Sibugay on March 13, then entered Malaybalay, Bukidnon on March 18, where they were welcomed and blessed by Monsignor Loloy Sajelan, Cathedral Rector, at the San Isidro Cathedral, then took refuge and rest for a day at the PANAW Sumilao Multi-Purpose Cooperative, an IP farmers group assisted by Pakisama 17 years ago in reclaiming their land. Seven Sumilao farmers shared their lessons learned from their successful fight — from the importance of tireless determination, active non-violent action, the role of the church, media, youth, and women, to the proper development of strategies and legal bases for action.
Their stopover in Cagayan de Oro and Conversations inspired the Kabaritan Farmers of the Kalilangan Farmers Association who are being threatened with eviction from 195 hectares they have been tilling since 1950, alleged to be a part of the 42,780 hectare Military Reservation in Kabaritan, Kalilangan, Bukidnon according to Presidential Proclamation #134. Archbishop Emeritus Antonio Ledesma S.J. blessed the group at the Bishop’s House Chapel before they continued their march heading to Oroquita-Baliangao, Misamis Occidental on March 22, 2025.
They walked through 11 more destinations in Mindanao, crossing over to the Visayas on March 25 with 16 stops in various key areas, before proceeding to Luzon starting in Sorsogon in April ending up at the Ateneo de Manila University Campus on May 11 to allow the marchers to proceed to their respective homes for election day.
However, aside from calling attention to the insidious destruction of their environment, loss of their ancestral lands and livelihoods, the group also seeks to stress the positive initiatives residents confronted with similar aggressions have undertaken which have significantly improved the living standards and environments of their communities.
Foremost among them is #8 Senatorial Candidate Roberto “Ka Dodoy” Ballon, a 53-year-old fisherman and 2021 Ramon Magsaysay awardee for his leadership in their community that resulted in the rehabilitation of their coastal environment and vast improvement in resident’s livelihood.
With 30 fishermen, Dodoy started the Kapunungan sa Gagmay’ng Mangingida sa Concepcion (KGMC), or Association of Small Fisherfolk of Concepcion, Zamboanga Sibugay in 1986 to focus on mangrove reforestation.
Fish catches have increased significantly from 1.5 kg per eight-hour fishing trip, to 7.0 kg in three to five hours of fishing. The improvement in the quality of life of fishermen is reflected in their ability to purchase boat engines or simple household items and send their children to school.
The RMAF (Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation) board of trustees recognized his inspiring determination to lead his fellow fishermen in reviving a dying fishing industry by creating a sustainable marine environment, and his shining example of how everyday acts of heroism can be truly extraordinary and transformative.
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