To stave off hunger, Hacienda Carolina farm workers in Bago City, Negros Occidental collectively planted banana and cassava in the vacant land in the hacienda last August 1. They face intense hunger as their crops were destroyed by the drought during El Niño and the Tiempo Muerto in sugarcane fields is already underway.

The farmers said apart from low wages, they have no source of subsistence as there is no work in the hacienda. When jobs are available, foremen do not employ them or they are given limited jobs.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)-Negros expressed support for the collective action of farmers. It affirms bungkalan (collective tilling) as the right of farmers to the land they have cultivated for a long time.

“It is only just that the process be accelerated and that the government immediately distribute vacant and agricultural lands to agricultural workers for production and food security,” KMP-Negros said.

Hacienda Carolina farm workers are among those who receive no local government assistance. “They were also not included in the aid that President Marcos distributed last month,” the KMP-Negros reported.

Tiempo muerto, (dead time) refers to the months between sugarcane planting cycles. Farmers regularly suffer from this annually but government preparation and aid are still lacking.