The plight of peasants and farm workers in the cane fields of Batangas
Sugar is one of Batangas' main agricultural products. It is produced in 26 out of the province's 32 towns and cities. In 2000, the biggest cane fields could be found in the towns of Cuy, Calaca, Nasugbu, Balayan and Lemery.
In Batangas can also be found the Central Azucarera de Don Pedro or CADP and the Batangas Sugar Central Inc. (BSCI), two of the country's largest. Sugar centrals engage both in sugar cane milling and sugar manufacturing. The CADP comes third after Victorias Milling Corporation in Negros Occidental and BUSCO in Bukidnon in terms of overall sugar production in the country. CADP and BSCI's combined output is equivalent to 53% of Luzon's entire sugar production.
Like other major cane fields in the Philippines, the cane fields of Batangas are controlled by only a handful of families. Based on the reactionary government's own records, only 16 families and corporations own over 26,000 hectares of cane fields in the province. Estimates place the number of farm workers at over 63,000. Regular farm workers are found in large sugar cane plantations and receive regular monthly wages. Seasonal farm workers are found in haciendas, mortgaged lands and wherever they are needed.
Small planters account for a considerably more limited area. A little over 10,000 hectares are owned by over 9,000 small cane planters (with each owning an average of only one to one-and-a-half hectares). The tenancy and the crop-sharing systems are more widespread, covering over 18,000 hectares. Tenants number over 15,000. In tenanted lands, planting products other than sugar cane is strictly prohibited.
Unjust system of sharing, high production costs. Peasants suffer intensified feudal and semifeudal exploitation as the country's economy, and the sugar industry in particular, suffer through a worsening crisis.
The usual system of sharing is 50-50, covering the costs of certain aspects of production and proceeds from the sale of tons of sugar cane. Cost of labor, which is shouldered by the peasants, is not included in the computations.
Tenants are always on the losing end under the 50-50 system. They shoulder all the costs of soil cultivation and preparation while landlords contribute nothing even in the expenses for tilling and weeding and for tending the crop. Landlords and tenants usually share expenses only for fertilizer and harvesting.
Land hunger and unjust sharing are exacerbated by high production costs, such as for fertilizer. The absence of government subsidies are a big factor in rising production costs. For one, prices of fertilizer doubled upon the withdrawal of government subsidies for this particular input.
Over 58% of total earnings per hectare goes to production expenses. The landlord's share is then deducted from the remainder.
| The big landlords have effectively used usury to recover the parcels of land distributed to farm workers and tenants under the sham CARL. |
The peasants' production costs shot up even more due to successive increases in the prices of fertilizer and pesticides consequent to the liberalization of agriculture in the country.
High interest rates and land reconcentration. In dire straits, tenants are forced to borrow money from landlords, usurers, merchants and banks despite the high interest. They are thus forced to mortgage or have liens (aryendo) placed on their lands.
There are two kinds of aryendo. In the first category, the usurer administers the cane fields within an agreed period. For example, in exchange for a P20,000 loan, a peasant entrusts his cane field and all its earnings to a usurer for three milling seasons. In the second category, the mortgaged land remains with the usurer until the peasant is able to pay him the full value of the loan.
This system is prevalent in cane fields covered by the reactionary state's sham Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) in Nasugbu, Batangas, which is part of the Roxas family's extensive landholdings.
The big landlords have effectively used usury to recover the parcels of land distributed to farm workers and tenants under the sham CARL.
One case involves farm workers in the Roxas family-owned Hacienda Banilad who were given lands under the CARL. Because of the peasants' unpaid debts, 70% of the distributed lands have reverted to the Roxas family's control. More than half of these lands were reacquired by the Roxases due to CLOAs ceded by the tenants as payment for loans while the others are under the aryendo system.
Low wages and other forms of exploitation and bondage suffered by farm workers in the cane fields. Farm workers in the cane fields receive extremely low wages. Regular farm workers in the haciendas do not receive any benefits whatsoever. This, despite the P98 regularly deducted from their daily wage supposedly for benefits and bonuses.
Caretakers of lands under lien are paid P100 per day. The wage for plowing is P250-260 per day and for planting cane cuttings is P0.30 per cutting or P300 per thousand planted.
For those under the kapatas or kabo system (where teams of farm workers are hired through an individual labor contractor who negotiates directly with the landlords), teams numbering 10 or more charge landlords P130-140 per ton. The kapatas, however, passes only P120-135 per ton to his team, thereby earning P5.00 to P10.00 per ton.
The more big-time kapatas pay migrant workers from other provinces only P60-100 per ton, but charge the landlords P140 per ton. In such situations, the kapatas earns up to P60-80 per ton.
Aside from receiving very low wages, farm workers usually get their pay two weeks late. In some instances, it takes several months before accounts are settled and the actual net value of the migrant workers' earnings is determined.
In this case, migrants borrow money from their team leader or kapatas to meet their daily needs. Local or migrant farm workers under the kapatas system are usually cheated in the accounting. At times, the computations are manipulated to show that they had borrowed more than the value of their wages.
Women and child workers suffer even worse exploitation. Women, who usually plant cane cuttings, get only P120 per thousand planted (men are paid P300 for the same work). For weeding or cutting cane, they are usually paid P120-150 per day without meals or P100 with meals. Children in their Fifth or Sixth Grade (10 to 12 years old) receive P200 for every lawo or parcel of land cleared on a package deal basis. They get P120 if paid on a daily basis, with the amount divided among several children.
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