An on-site consultation regarding oil palm plantations was held in South Palawan on December 6. Led by the Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (Kasama-TK), the consultation was attended by four cooperatives, one federation, indigenous peoples, and landowners affected by the commercial plantations.

The Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (Kasama-TK) presented a study on oil palm plantations in the municipalities of Sofronio Española, Quezon, and Brooke’s Point. This study was made in collaboration with the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura,

Oil palm plantations in these towns cover thousands of hectares of agricultural land including ancestral lands of the indigenous Palaw’an and Tagbanua. Farmers and indigenous peoples here have been tied to leaseback and contract growing arrangements with Malaysian-owned Agumil Philippines since the previous decade. Agribusiness ventures with unequal terms drove these farmers and indigenous peoples to the brink of bankruptcy. They were buried deep in debt and are eventually forced to sell their lands to the company.

Agumil Philippines, along with the Singaporean-owned Palawan Palm & Vegetable Oil Mills Inc., first established plantations in 2007. The initial plantations covered 3,592 hectares, with plans to expand to 15,469 hectares in the following years. These plantations covered almost all productive agricultural land in southern Palawan.

Sandugo Alliance co-chairperson and Makabayan coalition senatorial candidate Amirah “Mek” Lidasan was present at the consultation. While in the province, Lidasan also met with the local chapter of the Moro National Liberation Front.