Batangas farmers held a protest to slam the Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s arrival in Tuy town on September 15. They condemned the widespread anomalies and corruption under the Marcos regime.

Led by the Alyansa ng mga Magsasaka para sa Kumpensasyon (AMK) and Sugarfolks Unity for Genuine Agricultural Reform (Sugar)-Batangas, farmers were headed for Tuy market in Barangay Rillo but Tuy Municipal Police Station (MPS) police blocked them.

The police did not show any document for the checkpoint and obstruction against those joining the protest. They even confiscated the groups’ megaphone and placards to be used for the action.

“What is wrong with our rally? We are holding a peaceful assembly, we are not causing trouble,” Sugar-Batangas chairperson Charlie Lopez said. He added that the protest in Tuy was also supposed to be an opportunity to directly convey to Marcos their long-standing calls for compensation and production subsidies.

This forced the groups to hold the protest in Barangay Munting Tubig, Balayan. After the program, the police continued to follow the protesters and harassed them up to the office of AMK and Sugar-Batangas.

AMK spokesperson Ayrene Marasigan condemned the surveillance and harassment by the police. “Why do you have to surveil us after our peaceful program? Us farmers and the people’s taxes pay your salaries. Monitor and imprison those implicated in corruption,” she said.

Marcos visited Tuy to grace the opening of the solar power plant built by Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation. The plant occupied 400 hectares of land in Barangay Lumbangan and Luntal.

The solar power plant hides behind the overused concept of “clean energy” which displaced farmers and grabbed their lands. The Tan family controls the plant, which supplies electricity to Emperador and Tanduay Distillery in Balayan and Lian, which they also own.