The weeks-long food blockade by the 80th IB and 70th IB is causing extreme hunger and disruption in Barangay Umiray, General Nakar, Quezon. The soldiers disallowed the entry of sacks of rice and other food for stores in the area because of the baseless allegation that these were for the New People’s Army (NPA).

The blockade covers the remote sitios of Bituan, Lucban, Malining and Landing. The rainy season hinders farmers in these areas from drying the harvested rice, making it unfit for consumption.

Soldiers periodically allow residents to buy rice but their purchases are heavily monitored. They are also monitoring buyers from stores in Bituan. They force residents to record their rice purchases, limiting them to two salop (approximately four kilos) per family for a week’s consumption. Anyone buying more is subjected to intense interrogation.

Residents complain that four kilos per week is not enough for workers involved in manual laber and those with children. They have no one to borrow rice from as everyone in the neighborhood are in the same situation. Store owners in the sitios are on the verge of bankruptcy, and others have altogether closed because nothing is left to sell.

This is not the first time that soldiers have implemented a prolonged food blockade in Barangay Umiray. It was also imposed in March-April 2024, April 2022, and April-May 2021.

This prompted barangay residents to call for an end to the food blockade in their area. They also assert on the local government to provide their food needs and drive away the military scourge from the community. Barangay Umiray has about 6,000 residents.