STAFF

Reaping the Grains of Success

INTERVIEW WITH KA Dante, a 25-year old peasant in Western Samar, regarding his experiences in revolutionary work, specifically in the implementation of the revolutionary agrarian reform program in Samar:

Liberation:            How do you achieve the reduction of land rent?

Dante:         When the “asosasyon” or mass organization is already formed, we confront the landlord and present our demands to him.

L:                Are there steps you take before such confrontation?

D:               Preparation, which take about six months to one year, are made before the actual confrontation. During this span of time, asosasyon members visit the landlord, talk to him and explain to him the objective and importance of our kind of agrarian reform. In short, we establish good relations with the landlord and persuade him.  If he does not favorably regard our demands, then we confront him.

L:                Do members of the New People’s Army accompany you in your  confrontations with the landlords?

D:               Not at all.  Members of the asosasyon are the ones who confront  the landlord.

L:                By how much has land rent been reduced so far in your area?

D:               In 1983, a minimum of 10 percent land reduction was prevalent in Samar.  But there are also cases wherein tenants do not pay a single centavo of rent anymore.

L:                Do you exert pressure on the landlord for him to reduce rent?

D:               As far as my experience goes, I have yet to encounter a landlord who has refused to reduce rent when confronted although there are when instances when they bargain for a lower percentage of rent reduction.  For example, we confronted one and asked for a 20 percent rent reduction.  He said he couldn’t afford this, so we bargained with him until we reached an agreement.  However, I’ve heard of cases wherein the landlord bared the farmer’s demand to the military which led to harassment of farmers.  The peasants were beaten up, arrested or even killed.  In 1981 there was one instance when a landlord in southwest Samar paid the military to harass the farmers.  The NPA later sought him and he in turn paid for his crime with his life.  His land was also confiscated.

L:                Is land confiscation a part of the revolutionary agrarian reform program?

D:               What I’ve just related is the only case I know of but there are landlords who voluntarily abandon their land.  They don’t visit their properties anymore nor do they assert their ownership of these lands.

L:                So what happens to such lands?

D:               The asosasyon assumes jurisdiction over these lands.  Schedules are set for a group of peasants to work on the land. We call this “tiklos” (collective farming).  Work on the collective farms is usually done in the afternoon.  In the morning, peasants till the land owned by other peasants.  The “bayanihan” spirit operates in these instances.  There is a fixed schedule of what lands will be worked on certain days.

L:                How is the harvest divided in the collective farms?

D:               The production cost is first subtracted from the gain.  The balance is divided into three parts—50 percent goes to the peasants, 25 percent to the asosasyon and 25 percent is earmarked for support for the  people’s army.

L:                Aside from confronting the landlord, are there other means of reducing land rent?

D:               Well, there is what we call Operation Sukot or Operation Singil.  Part of the harvest is hidden from the landlord so that the basis of sharing would lesser than usual.  This is usually done if the peasants are not yet prepared to openly confront the landlord.

L:                Doesn’t the landlord retaliate when he learns about this?

D:               Actually, he will never know unless someone reports to him.  He sees only what is presented to him the peasants.  Besides, the peasants are always ready for any attack against them.

L:                What about the increase in the wages of the poor peasants?  What steps have you take to raise their standard of living?

D:               First, they are recruited into the asosasyon to they can be organized.  The policies of the asosasyon encompass them.  Before, they would approach the rich peasants individually for work.  Now, the asosasyon approaches the rich peasants in behalf of the poor peasants.  The organization is authorized to ask for higher wages for the poor peasants so they have stronger bargaining power. After the wage has been settled, they work in groups rather than individually.  A spirit of oneness and solidarity is developed.

L:                By how much have their wage increased?

D:               They used to receive P5 to P7 per day on the average.  Now they get P25 per day.

L:                How is the revolutionary land reform program doing in your area?

D:               Well, we have made big steps this year, especially since the founding of Section One last May 24 [1984].  Section One is the first municipal level mass organization not only in our area but in the whole of Samar.  We proudly greeted this development in a song which was composed by a comrade.  It goes like this:

                  

                   Año 1984, petsa 24

                   Bulas han Mayo

                   Gintukod an maso

                   Dinhi ha Seksyon Uno