Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan- KilosKa

01/10/2026

01/10/2026

October marks Peasant Month in the Philippines, shedding light on the bitter plight of Filipino farmers and their ongoing struggle for fundamental rights.

The corporate capture of agriculture and neoliberal policies continue to erode farmers’ livelihoods and national food security. The Philippine economy is stuck in a rut, and the agriculture sector has fallen to its lowest share of gross domestic product (GDP) in history. In Mindanao, most small-scale farmers remain landless and trapped in cycles of debt due to high production costs and meager returns amid increasing prices of basic food and services, making it nearly impossible to escape penury. This is reflected in a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey as of September 2025, showing that self-rated poverty and food poverty were highest in Mindanao.

Tragically, asserting their rights and dignity has only subjected farmers to relentless state persecution. Rural communities are affected by red-tagging and other forms of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law “repeatedly perpetrated with impunity” by state security forces.

At the same time, this structural vulnerability leaves farmers exposed to global and corporate pressures aimed at dismantling agrarian self-reliance. The Philippines faces pressure to adopt restrictive seed laws that entrench corporate monopolies and compromise farmer-led seed systems. MASIPAG insists that communities must retain the right to save, breed, exchange, and control their seeds. For generations, farmers and Indigenous Peoples have safeguarded traditional heirloom seeds through sustainable agroecological practices, preserving critical genetic diversity and ecosystem health that corporate models threaten to erase.

Compounding these legal and economic threats are foreign-backed initiatives that directly target rural lands. Currently, Filipino farmers fear displacement and loss of livelihood from the proposed US-led Pax Silica project. Advocates warn that this initiative will only intensify land grabbing, resource extraction, and militarization in rural areas.

Genuine rural development must be rooted in equity and social justice. This Peasant Month, MASIPAG calls for the spirit of bayanihan—urging collective action and care to ensure the safety, dignity, and resilience of agricultural communities as we work to rebuild our food systems. 🌾

21/09/2026

54 YEARS AFTER MARTIAL LAW: NEVER AGAIN TO REPRESSION, NEVER AGAIN TO THE PLUNDER OF LAND AND RESOURCES

Fifty-four years after the declaration of Martial Law, the Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan (Kilos Ka) remembers the farmers, peasants, fisherfolk, Indigenous Peoples, and other rural communities who endured militarization, displacement, land grabbing, and human rights violations under the dictatorship. Their struggles remind us that the defense of democracy is inseparable from the defense of land, livelihood, and the rights of communities.

Today, farmers and peasants continue to face landlessness, land grabbing and conversion, rising production costs, low farm-gate prices, debt, and displacement. Fisherfolk face declining access to fishing grounds and threats to their livelihoods, while Indigenous Peoples continue to defend their ancestral domains against destructive projects and resource extraction. Across rural communities, the environment continues to be threatened by mining, logging, destructive development, and other practices that put land, water, forests, and food systems at risk.

Kilos Ka upholds land rights, genuine agrarian reform, environmental protection, and agroecology as essential to building sustainable and just rural communities. Agroecology offers a pathway toward food sovereignty by strengthening farmers' control over their production, protecting biodiversity, reducing dependence on costly inputs, and respecting the knowledge and practices of local communities.

The struggle of the tri-people — Moro, Indigenous Peoples, and settlers — must be recognized in defending land, resources, and self-determination. No development project should come at the expense of communities who depend on their land and natural resources for survival. Farmers, peasants, fisherfolk, and IP communities must have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their territories and livelihoods.

On this 54th anniversary of Martial Law, Kilos Ka calls on the Filipino people to remember the victims and stand with communities defending their land, environment, livelihood, and rights. We reject repression and the criminalization of legitimate community organizing and continue to call for a society where land and resources serve the people, not a privileged few.

NEVER AGAIN TO MARTIAL LAW. NEVER AGAIN TO REPRESSION.

LAND RIGHTS FOR THE PEOPLE. JUSTICE FOR FARMERS, PEASANTS, FISHERFOLK, AND IPs.

DEFEND THE ENVIRONMENT. ADVANCE AGROECOLOGY.

LONG LIVE THE STRUGGLE OF THE RURAL PEOPLE!

16/09/2026

84.34% VOTER TURNOUT SA UNANG BARMM PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

TINGNAN: Umabot sa 84.34% ang final voter turnout sa kauna-unahang Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections na ginanap noong Sept. 14, 2026, ayon sa Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

Mas mataas ito sa 80% voter turnout na target ng COMELEC bago ang eleksyon.

COURTESY: COMELEC/Facebook

Bisitahin ang www.gmanetwork.com/news para sa updates.

16/09/2026

03/09/2026

PAHRA CALLS FOR A RIGHTS-BASED, PEACEFUL AND CREDIBLE BARMM ELECTION

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) recognizes the September 14, 2026 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections as a historic milestone in the Bangsamoro's continuing journey toward peace, self-determination, democratic governance, and meaningful political participation.

For PAHRA, the election is not only about choosing representatives. It is about ensuring that every qualified voter can exercise the fundamental right to vote freely, safely, equally, and without fear, intimidation, coercion, violence, or discrimination.

We call on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), the Bangsamoro Government, Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Commission on Human Rights (CHR), local government units, and all concerned government agencies to fulfill their duty to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights throughout the campaign period, Election Day, and the post-election period.

PAHRA particularly calls on the government to protect every voter's right to participate in the electoral process without fear or coercion and to prevent and respond promptly to election-related violence, threats, intimidation, harassment, and attacks. Government institutions and security forces must remain politically neutral, with safeguards against the misuse of public resources or authority for partisan purposes.

Human rights defenders, journalists, community leaders, election observers, candidates, campaign workers, and other election stakeholders must likewise be protected from threats, harassment, violence, and reprisals. The electoral process must ensure meaningful and non-discriminatory participation of Moro communities, Indigenous Peoples, settler communities, women, youth, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, and other marginalized sectors.

PAHRA also calls for full respect for freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and access to information. Election-related human rights violations and offenses must be promptly investigated, with effective remedies and accountability regardless of the identity or political affiliation of those responsible.

A HISTORIC ELECTION MUST PROTECT THE TRI-PEOPLE

The electoral process must recognize the rights and aspirations of the Moro, Indigenous Peoples, and settler communities, the tri-people of BARMM.

PAHRA supports a Tri-People Agenda anchored on peace, self-determination, ancestral domain, ecological development, human rights defender protection, and human rights.

This means sustaining the gains of the peace process and protecting communities from violence, displacement, and injustice; ensuring meaningful participation in shaping the political, social, economic, and cultural future of BARMM; and protecting the ancestral lands, resources, culture, and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples.

It also means advancing a sustainable, rights-based alternative economy beyond extractive, exploitative, and destructive practices, while ensuring that human rights defenders and community advocates can work without threats, harassment, violence, or reprisals. Above all, the rights of all people must be respected, protected, and fulfilled without discrimination.

PAHRA also welcomes the recent selection of Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIP) representatives to the BARMM Parliament during the Regional Inter-Tribal Convention, Timuay Labi Leticio Datuwata, a Lambangian leader defending ancestral lands and Indigenous Peoples' rights, and Jo Genna Jover, a Teduray advocate for Indigenous women's rights.

This is an important step toward genuine Indigenous representation and reflects the continuing struggle for recognition and meaningful participation in BARMM governance.

PAHRA HUMAN RIGHTS ELECTION MONITORING

PAHRA members in Mindanao, including the Alliance of Tri-People for the Advancement of Human Rights (ALTAHR), Alyansa ng Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (AMKP), SUMPAY Mindanao, and Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (LAHRA), are initiating the BARMM Human Rights Election Monitoring through IM4Peace.

PAHRA is calling on its members and networks nationwide to join in solidarity and amplify the initiative at the national level through a joint monitoring, documentation, protection, rapid response, referral, and advocacy mechanism.

We will monitor and document human rights concerns before, during, and after the elections; support appropriate interventions and remedies; and, when necessary, elevate serious or systemic violations to national and international human rights mechanisms.

September 14 must be a day when the people of BARMM can exercise their right to vote, not a day when they are forced to choose between their political rights and their safety.

A credible election cannot be separated from human rights. A peaceful election is a human rights obligation. The right to vote must be protected. Every voice must be heard without fear.

22/08/2026

ADVANCE PEOPLES' RIGHTS, SOLIDARITY, AND ELECTORAL INTEGRITY IN THE FIRST BARMM REGIONAL ELECTIONS! - IM4PEACE-Maguindanao-SGA-Cotabato

As a grassroots, tri-people election watch group, the Interfaith Movement for Peaceful and Clean Elections (IM4PEACE) and its clusters and networks particularly the Maguindanao-SGA-Cotabato City Cluster commits itself to independent monitoring and active participation in the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Regional Parliamentary Elections. Partnering with different independent election watch like Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), our dedication is guided by a core mission to advance, ensure, and center the rights, welfare, and solidarity of the Bangsamoro, Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs), and Christian communities.

Our firm bias is with the people and their fundamental right to freely exercise suffrage in an environment safe from intimidation, coercion, political manipulation, and disinformation. We firmly believe that this election is a vital component in the transition toward democratic governance within the new Bangsamoro political entity—a historical outcome of the decades-long, century-old struggle for self-determination.

Furthermore, this electoral process is a crucial democratic foundation that must be supported and defended to ensure the full realization of the Right to Self-Determination (RSD) and the faithful implementation of the Peace Agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (M**F) and the Philippine Government.

At the same time, we emphasize that just as with the Moro people, the Indigenous Political Structure (IPS)-based process of Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples to select their representatives to the Parliament must be recognized, respected, and upheld.

GRAVE CONCERNS ON THE GROUND

Despite the historical significance of this transition, current security, environmental, and administrative challenges severely threaten democratic space across Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Cotabato City, and the Special Geographic Area (SGA):

Rising Gun Violence and Expanding High Risk: A persistent surge in shooting incidents and deaths continues across our operational areas despite the active ex*****on of the electoral Gun Ban. Adding to these incidents are the serious security challenges in the communities. Out of 44 municipalities and 1 City, 15 Municipalities and 1 City—representing approximately 35.5% of these local government units—are designated under the "Orange" risk category, while 4 municipalities (8.9%) are categorized under the "Red" alert status. Taken together, nearly 44.4% of the local jurisdictions in these areas carry elevated risk classifications.

Abuse of Public Resources: Incumbent regional candidates and their allies in local government units are blatantly using public resources to influence voters, capitalizing on the economic hardships worsened by climate disasters and petroleum price hikes driven by the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

Intimidation and Harassment: Severe intimidation tactics leave community members fearful of losing their homes, livelihoods, or safety if they choose not to vote for dominant clans and powerful interest groups.

Infrastructure Vulnerabilities: Unpredictable power outages and potential grid failures pose serious risks to automated voting and canvassing procedures. Meanwhile, several designated polling precincts have been submerged, damaged, or otherwise compromised due to recent flooding and earthquake impacts, threatening voter access and logistics.

Electoral Gaps: Substantial operational and administrative shortcomings remain unaddressed—particularly countering misinformation and disinformation, and deepening public awareness of the regional electoral system—which threatens the overall credibility of the polling process.

OUR CALL TO ACTION

We call on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and its regional counterpart, the Regional and National Government and their concerned agencies, as well as independent regional, national, and international observers and monitors, to closely, critically, and vigilantly watch over the entire electoral process to ensure the sanctity and credibility of the process and the safety of the electorate, volunteers, poll workers, journalists, and local communities.

We also remind Regional and Provincial Political Parties, as well as individual candidates, to be responsible and accountable in their campaigns and in the management of their supporters. Political actors must refrain from resorting to violence or inciting hatred, and avoid triggering further division within our communities.

We urge all stakeholders in the remaining days and on the actual election day to collaborate in intensifying efforts for an informed electorate, in safeguarding the ballot, mitigating security and infrastructure risks, enforcing equal protection under the law, and upholding a truly free, fair, and safe electoral space for every voter in the Bangsamoro region.

Reference: B**g / 09556424756

IM4PEACE – Maguindanao-SGA-Cotabato City
Interfaith Movement for Peaceful and Clean Elections
August 22, 2026

21/08/2026

STATEMENT ON NINOY AQUINO DAY 2026

On this Ninoy Aquino Day, August 21, we remember the assassination of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. on August 21, 1983 - a tragic event that shook the nation and became a defining moment in the Filipino people's struggle against dictatorship and for the restoration of democracy. But remembering Ninoy must go beyond commemorating a historical figure. It must also remind us of the continuing struggle of ordinary Filipinos for genuine democracy, justice, freedom, and a life free from poverty and oppression.

For the farmers and rural poor, democracy cannot simply mean the right to vote. It must mean access to land, decent livelihoods, food security, protection from displacement, and the freedom to organize and collectively fight for their rights. Democracy is meaningless when those who feed the nation continue to live in poverty while their lands and livelihoods remain threatened.

As Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan (Kiloska), we believe that the legacy of those who fought against authoritarianism must be carried forward by the people themselves. We honor their courage by continuing to stand with the marginalized and by defending the rights and welfare of our communities. History reminds us that democracy is never permanent or guaranteed. It must be defended, strengthened and made meaningful through the active participation of the people. On this day, we remember not only Ninoy Aquino, but also the countless Filipinos who sacrificed, resisted, and struggled for freedom and justice.

Let us remember. Let us organize.

Let us continue the struggle for genuine democracy and social justice. Never forget.

Never again!

07/08/2026