Bukidnon farm workers camp out of capitol to demand minimum wage

MALAYBALAY — Around 500 farm workers from different municipalities in Bukidnon province set up a “Kampuhan sa Mag-uuma,” or farmers’ camp, in front of the provincial capitol in protest of the low salaries they receive from plantation owners.

The farmers, led by Kahugpungan sa mga Mag-uuma-Bukidnon (Kasama-Bukidnon), Organisasyon sa mga Yanong Obrerong Nagkahiusa and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Northern Mindanao Region, want the implementation of the minimum wage in the region as well as the realization of the benefits for sugarcane workers through the Social Amelioration Fund.

Based on an order issued by the National Wages and Productivity Commission in August this year, the region’s agricultural workers are supposed to receive P229 to P244 daily based on four categories that depend on plantation locations.

“Most of the farmers in the province are landless and rely on their daily wage as farm hands,” said Danilo V. Menente, chairman of Kasama-Bukidnon.

“But Bukidnon farm workers are usually paid as low as P80 a day — with luck, they could get P120. The harvesting or hauling rate of sugarcane is roughly P0.10 to P0.12 per kilogram,” he added.

Farmers also complain that since there are times they are forced to borrow from landowners, they are subjected to unfair deals that they could not refuse.

“It is always agreed on that these farmers would only sell to the landowner who dictates the price for their harvest,” said Mr. Menente.

On Dec. 7, Vice-Governor Jose Ma. R. Zubiri, Jr., with representatives from the provincial offices of the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of Agrarian Reform, faced the farmers in a dialogue.
The farmers demanded an investigation into the wage system in every municipality of the province and asked the provincial government to support or provide subsidies to cooperatives established by farmers.

Mr. Zubiri said that they could not give subsidies to the cooperatives but could help them by giving fertilizers and seedlings.

The farmers also said the government should control the increases of farm input prices and the decreasing price of agricultural products such as vegetables. They also asked for trainings for livelihood programs that could augment their incomes.

Finally, the farmers’ groups called again for another negotiation, asking for an ordinance that will sanction farm owners who do not follow the minimum wage order and provide benefits for the farmers.

The Kampuhan will be capped on Dec. 10 by a caravan to nearby Cagayan de Oro City and a march-rally to be participated in by other progressive blocs in the region to commemorate the International Human Rights Day. — Louise G. Dumas, Businessworld