State forces are intensifying militarization and terrorism in farms and urban poor communities in Cebu. The Marcos regime is suppressing the unity and struggle of Cebuanos for their rights in favor of landlords and the comprador bourgeoisie.

Land grabbing in Aloguinsan

Approximately 40 soldiers under the 31st Civil Military Operation (CMO) forcibly and surreptitiously entered and set up camp in Sitio Camaren, Barangay Bonbon, Aloguinsan, Cebu on December 4. Covering 168 hectares of land cultivated by the San Roque Farmers’ Association (SRFA), the area has long been claimed by the landlord Gantuanco family.

The military encamped and harassed people in the area before. In August 2011, police and soldiers violently dispersed protests and unity among farmers who opposed the seizure of their farms, arresting 39 farmer leaders and supporters of SRFA. This was despite farmers being recognized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as legitimate claimants of the land. The Gantuancos and the military relentlessly harassed residents in the following years.

Attacks on SRFA intensified again in October 2022 when the 31st CMO Special Company arrived in the barangay. Soldiers visited households, bringing noodles, slippers, and money in exchange for farmers to “clear” their names.

Farmers and their families were threatened with imprisonment unless they sign. They forced 17 farmers to “surrender” to disband the SRFA. Soldiers even established their controlled farmers’ organization called the Santa Cruz Farmers Association, which later became the Camaren Farmers Association in June 2023. The military and the National Task Force-Elcac openly subjugated the Barangay Bonbon local government and even the Aloguinsan town officials.

In response, the SRFA strongly urges farmers and the local government to immediately expel the military from the community. The farmers’ right to oppose exploitative and oppressive landlords and their military mercenaries must be respected.

Militarized urban poor communities

Urban militarization primarily involves the deployment of military units in urban poor communities in Metro Cebu. In recent months, the urban poor have reported the presence of 14th CMO Battalion elements in Ermita, Pasil, and Mambaling. Similar reports of military presence came from the urban poor in Quiot Pardo, as well as in Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu City.

When the urban poor held an assembly on December 2, soldiers visited members of the homeowners association to warn them against attending. Red-tagging, intimidation, and surveillance are rampant in urban poor communities.

“They used psychological warfare by repeatedly asking neighbors about the leaders’ homes, even though they already knew the location… and stalked these homes when the members or leaders were not around, putting pressure on their children or siblings to face them,” Kadamay-Cebu stated.

Small vendors belonging to the Movement against Carbon Market Privatization (MACMP), an association opposing the privatization of the Carbon public market, also reported similar forms of harassment. The military’s tactic is to promise government aid and assistance to vendors who will leave the organization.

In Mandaue City, residents reported repeated visits of the 14th CMO to locate and harass urban poor organization members who resisted illegal demolitions. The local government even assisted in locating these leaders by providing a list of their names.