Masses of farmers, farm workers and indigenous people clamor against the ongoing construction of the massive 6,652 hectare-wide Consunji-owned oil palm plantation in the town of Candoni in Southwest Negros Occidental has affected a thousand villagers in barangays Payawan, Agboy, and Gatuslao. Local livelihoods are being set aside to make way for the neoliberal project, which Mayor Ruiz of Candoni labelled as a ‘blessing’ to the town.

The project area involves 4,000 hectares that is part of the Indigenous People’s ancestral domain that has been lopsided due to legal schemes by institutions such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) colluding with big businesses. Through utilizing the Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA) of the DENR, Hacienda Asia Plantation Inc (HAPI)—a joint venture by comprador-landlords Alfred Joseph Araneta and the Consunji family—has been legally allowed to plant oil palm for the next 25 years.

Aside from attacking the Indigenous Peoples ancestral domain, 13 farms spanning 63 hectares have been bulldozed by the corporation. Building construction has already started and the farmers are no longer allowed to tend to their farm lots due to this.

To make sure that the project goes on smoothly, Consunji goons patrol the area, sowing fear among the population who are already afraid to visit their farms. Additionally, troops of the 47th IB of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) harass leaders and sabotage the non-government organization (NGO) and lawyers who are aiding them in their plight against the project. Even the recent military operations in Candoni and nearby towns in the 6th district that mount checkpoints and food blockades in the area serve as protection for the project. Government forces are proving to be mere pawns of the ruling class, as mercenaries who are commanded by the whims of Consunjis, Aranetas, and the like.

The US-Marcos II regime can no longer hide in the facade of pseudodemocracy and has laid bare its true colors: the puppet of imperialism. The oil palm plantation in Candoni and the several domestic and foreign projects in the entire island of Negros show the inutile character of the corrupt and fascist Marcos Jr. While he boasts of land reform, it is evident that the reactionary government continues to prioritize the interests of the elite, while killing those who threaten them.

It is high time that the people rise up against the attacks of the reactionary state. National Democratic Front (NDF)-Negros calls on environment defenders, human rights advocates, church people, and other democratic sectors to support and join the fight of farmers and Indigenous Peoples against the destructive and commercial oil palm plantation in Candoni. If anything, the ruling class is afraid of the possible unrest due to their successive attacks against the exploited people. It is just and necessary to collectively struggle against Marcos Jr’s sycophancy to imperialism, along with his allies like Consunji. It is also just to fight both neoliberalism and fascism, through advancing the national democratic revolution. ###