KAISAHAN

08/05/2026

May 7, 2026 - KAISAHAN Chairperson Gerry Bulatao was among the members of Kilus Magniniyog who were invited by Sen. Kiko Pangilinan to the Committee Hearing on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform. They discussed the persistent and pressing issues of coconut farmers after the passage of R.A. 11524. The following is the statement issued by the group:

Pahayag ng Kilus Magniniyog sa Republic Act No. 11524,
the Coconut Farmers and Industry Fund Act
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform Public Hearing, May 7, 2026

Mister Chair, honorable members of the Committee,

Maraming salamat po sa pagkakataon na makapagsalita sa harap ninyo. Kami po ang Kilusang Magniniyog, o ang Kilusan para sa Ugnayan ng mga Samahang Magniniyog, na matagal nang nakipaglaban para sa tamang paggamit ng coco levy funds. Ang pondo pong ito ay bunga ng pawis at dugo ng mga magsasaka, at matagal naming ipinaglaban na ito ay maibalik sa amin.

Noong 2021, naisabatas ang Republic Act No. 11524, o ang Coconut Farmers and Industry Fund Act. Ngunit limang na taon na po ang nakalipas, at malinaw na hindi pa rin natutupad ang layunin ng batas na “sustainable, equitable, and accelerated growth” para sa industriya ng niyog. Kaya’t narito po kami upang ipanawagan ang pag-amyenda ng RA 11524.

Una, Transparency and Farmer Representation. Sa Section 10 ng RA 11524, nakasaad: “There is hereby created a Trust Fund Management Committee (TMFC), which shall be comprised of authorized representatives of the Department of Finance, Department of Budgement and Management, and Department of Justice. The BTr shall act as the Trust Fund Management Committee Secretariat…”

Maliwanag po na ang komposisyon ng TFMC ay limitado sa mga fiscal agencies.Wala ang PCA, wala ang DA, at higit sa lahat, wala ang mga kinatawan ng magniniyog. Ang resulta: nakatago ang impormasyon sa mismong mga benepisyaryo ng pondo. Ang coco levy ay hindi dapat maging pondo ng gobyerno lamang, kundi pondo ng mga magsasaka.

Kaya’t nananawagan kami na isama ang farmer representatives at PCA/DA sa TFMC, at magtakda ng malinaw na transparency safeguards tulad ng publikasyon ng taunang financial reports.

Ikalawa, Low Fund Utilization and Misaligned Priorities. Sa Section 9, nakasaad:
“The utilization of the Trust Fund… shall be in accordance with the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan… an initial allocation of Five billion pesos ₱5,000,000,000.00) shall be available to the designated government implementing agencies…” At sa Section 4, nakasaad ang detalyadong distribution: seed farms 20%, training 8%, research 5%, crop insurance 4%, farm improvements 10%, shared facilities 10%, credit programs 10%, infrastructure 10%, scholarship 8%, health 10%.

Ngunit ayon kay PCA Administrator Dexter Buted, 42% lamang ng 2025 allocation ang nagamit ng 15 NGAs. Ang pagkalat ng pondo sa mga ahensya na walang direktang ugnayan sa magniniyog ay nagdulot ng mababang utilization at fragmented implementation.

Ang vetoed bill ng 17th Congress (SBN 1233/HBN 5745) ay mas malinaw sa outcome-based allocations: 35% Shared Facility, 15% Farm Productivity, 15% Empowerment, 15% Social Protection, at 20% Agri-credit. Nararapat na balikan ang modelong ito upang masiguro ang direktang benepisyo sa mga magsasaka.

Ikatlo, CIIF OMG Asset Disposal. Sa Section 13, nakasaad:
“Coconut Levy Assets… shall be privatized or disposed… within the period of five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act.” Ngunit may mga ulat na ang ilang hold-over directors ay sinasadyang pababain ang halaga ng assets upang makuha ito sa mababang presyo.

Ang ganitong undervaluation at insider bidding ay malinaw na naglalagay sa panganib ng interes ng mga magsasaka. Dapat palawigin ang disposal period, magtakda ng independent valuation, at magsagawa ng imbestigasyon sa CIIF OMG operations.

Ikaapat, LandBank–UCPB Merger Transparency. Sa Section 3(b)(i), nakasaad: “Coconut Levy Assets shall refer to… shares of stock in United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) that were determined to be owned by the government.” Ngunit matapos ang EO 142 noong 2021 na nag-merge sa UCPB at LandBank, na nagdagdag ng ₱291.83B assets, hindi malinaw kung nakinabang ang Trust Fund. Kailangang magtakda ng malinaw na disclosure requirements hinggil sa epekto ng merger sa coco levy assets at sa Trust Fund.

Ikalima, Local Councils (LCIDCs). Sa Section 4(f), nakasaad:
“Shared facilities…beneficiaries… LGUs shall create local small farmers councils to provide mechanisms for consultation and participation.” Ngunit ito ay binanggit lamang nang pahapyaw. Ang Revised CFIDP (MC 84, 2025) ay nag-utos ng kanilang pagtatatag, ngunit ito ay administratibong hakbang lamang. Dapat ma-institutionalize ang LCIDCs bilang grassroots mechanism para sa farmer participation, monitoring, at feedback.

Ika-anim, ang Kapakanan ng mga Magsasaka. Sa Section 2, nakasaad:
“It is hereby declared the policy of the State to consolidate the benefits due to coconut farmers, especially the poor and marginalized… to attain increased incomes for coconut farmers, alleviate poverty, and achieve social equality.”

Ngunit sa kabila ng deklarasyong ito, nananatiling pinakamahirap ang 3.5M coconut farmers, na kumikita ng mababa buwan-buwan. Ang RA 11524 ay hindi nagbigay ng malinaw na mekanismo upang gawing measurable outcomes ang policy declaration.

Kinakailangang amyendahan ang batas upang magtakda ng direktang benepisyo: farm productivity programs, value-adding enterprises, scholarships, healthcare, at pension schemes.

Mister Chair, honorable members, limang taon na mula nang naisabatas ang RA 11524, ngunit nananatiling pinakamahirap ang mga magniniyog. Ang coco levy funds ay dapat magbigay ng direktang benepisyo sa mga magsasaka, hindi maging pondo ng gobyerno lamang.

Kaya’t nananawagan po kami: revisahin at amyendahan ang RA 11524 upang masiguro na ang coco levy funds ay tunay na mapapakinabangan ng mga magsasaka; ang mga magniniyog na siyang naghirap at nagpawis para sa industriya ng niyog.

Ang KILUS MAGNINIYOG (Kilusan para sa Ugnayan ng mga Samahang Magniniyog) ay isang Pambansang koalisyon ng mga maliliit na magsasaka at manggagawa sa niyugan sa Pilipinas. Binubuo ito ng iba't ibang pambansa at pangrehiyong pederasyon ng mga magsasaka at mga non-government organizations (NGOs). Isinulong ng KM ang kapakanan ng mga magniniyog, partikular na angpagbawi at paggamit ng Coco Levy Fund para sa direktang benepisyo ng mga mahihirap na magsasaka.

Maraming salamat po.

05/05/2026

NAIPASA NA! Sa 3rd and final reading ngayong 20th Congress, ang National Land Use Bill (HB 8466) ay pumasa sa botong 224-3-0.

Isa sa mahahalagang bahagi ng panukalang batas na ito ang pagkakaroon ng pambansang balangkas upang mapanatili ang makakalikasan at makatarungang paggamit ng ating likas yaman na naaayon sa prinsipyo ng sustainable development.

Tuloy ang laban sa senado. Isabatas na ang National Land Use Bill.



Campaign for Land Use Policy NOW

03/05/2026

KAISAHAN statement on the Toboso tragedy: A Call for Accountability, Justice, and Agrarian Reform

As an organization advocating for agrarian reform and inclusive rural development, KAISAHAN tungo sa Kaunlaran ng Kanayunan at Repormang Pansakahan laments the loss of 19 precious lives, especially the youth, in the recently reported military operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental.

This is a profound tragedy that stresses how social inequity perpetuates the cycle of violence. It demands a serious reflection on the systemic failures that continue to plague the rural areas in the Philippines.

The Roots of Unrest

For decades, Negros Occidental has been the epicenter of agrarian unrest, where a persistent hacienda system has left thousands of farmers landless and trapped in a cycle of seasonal work and extreme poverty. This historical landlessness, coupled with economic injustice and the crushing hardship of "tiempo mu**to," creates a desperate environment where rural families are driven to the brink of starvation. Without viable economic paths or educational opportunities, the farmers and their families are forced to inherit a conflict born from decades of agrarian neglect.

Central to this struggle is the fundamental truth that land rights are human rights. Access to land is the primary vehicle through which rural Filipinos exercise their right to food, housing, and a dignified livelihood. When farmers are denied the right to the soil they till, their right to self-determination and economic security is effectively stripped away, making land reform a prerequisite for the protection of life itself. The achievement of social justice through a just implementation of agrarian reform program is the most viable path to lasting peace and inclusive economic prosperity in the countryside.

The victims in Toboso were caught in the crossfire of this agrarian-rooted violence. Some of them have been unfairly branded with so many horrific labels, completely disregarding their circumstance and without impartial investigation. Theirs is now a stolen future, like those of many poor farmers who have died by the gun or by desperate poverty and landlessness.

A Call for Accountability, Justice and Agrarian Reform

We emphasize that all state and non-state military operations must strictly adhere to International Humanitarian Law and international human rights standards. The principles of distinction, precaution, and necessity are legal obligations designed to protect civilian lives and ensure that any use of force remains proportionate and justified. Peace cannot be achieved through force; it requires an unwavering respect on human rights, and commitment to transparency and the rule of law.

We firmly call for an immediate, impartial, and thorough investigation led by the Commission on Human Rights to ensure an independent finding of facts. We demand the AFP and the NPA’s full cooperation in the truthful disclosure of all evidence and records pertaining to the operation, ensuring total accountability for any violations of domestic law or international protocols.

Finally, we call on the Marcos administration to move beyond rhetoric and justly implement and complete agrarian reform. Farms should primarily be for growing food, and transitioning these to other uses should not displace farming communities. True peace and prosperity in the countryside can only be realized when farmers finally own the land they till and receive the support necessary to thrive.

We mourn those killed in Toboso and stand with their families in the pursuit of truth, justice, and a future where no Filipino, especially our youth, is sacrificed to the snares of social injustice.

28/04/2026

23/04/2026

Let us care for the Earth as she cares for us. Earth day is everyday!
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Ad23C6Zev/

22/04/2026

The Land and Resource Rights Working Group of the National Land Coalition PH met yesterday with Congressman Chel Diokno at his office in the House of Representatives.

The meeting provided an opportunity for coalition members to share their community-led initiatives and ongoing efforts to engage national policy processes that defend, secure, and protect the land and resource rights of smallholder farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Members also discussed key policy issues and challenges in implementing agrarian reform that require stronger legislative support.

This meeting marks the beginning of continued dialogue and collaboration on policy and legislative initiatives to strengthen support for smallholder farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries.

08/03/2026

Sa pagdiriwang ng Araw ng Kababaihan, patuloy nating kilalanin at ipaglaban ang proteksyon, dignidad, at boses ng ating mga kababaihan.

Happy International Women's Day! 💜

31/12/2025

Isang maligayang bagong taon sa lahat mula sa KAISAHAN!

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from KAISAHAN!
We wish you and your loved ones a happy and peaceful holiday season.

19/12/2025

Last November 24–26, 2025, KAISAHAN’s Project Manager for the Dinagat C4C - Communities for Conservation project, Kim Alvarez, joined women leaders from across South and South-East Asia at Women Shape Biodiversity Futures in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 3-day regional workshop, organised by the Women4Biodiversity brought together women practitioners, community organisers, researchers, and advocates from 11 countries to strengthen women’s leadership and advocacy on gender-responsive biodiversity governance, with a focus on the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and Target 23 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF).

What happens when women from across South & South-East Asia come together to talk biodiversity, leadership, and justice? From candid reflections to laughter ...

04/12/2025

What a powerful way to close 2025.

Kaisahan together with the other members of the National Land Coalition Philippines (NLC-PH) gathered on December 1–2, 2025, for a two-day writeshop at Hop Inn Tomas Morato, Quezon City, to strengthen the agriculture sector’s contribution to the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP)—the country’s roadmap for conserving biodiversity and fulfilling its commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
Building on the momentum of last year’s Agri-PBSAP National Workshop and other biodiversity-related capacity building activities of the platform, the members engaged in in-depth discussions to:

1. Define clear indicators and measurable targets for members working with farming and agrarian reform communities.
2. Highlight land rights and the role of agrarian reform beneficiaries and smallholder farmers as biodiversity stewards.
3. Identify NLC-PH’s collective contributions to PBSAP implementation.
4. Strengthen engagement strategies with the DENR–Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB).
5. Finalize the Agri-PBSAP Targets and Commitments Matrix, which will guide resource mobilization and future collaborative initiatives.

While several NLC-PH members already coordinate with DENR-BMB at the regional level, regularly submitting updates on biodiversity work for inclusion in the government’s monitoring dashboard, this consolidated document reinforces our commitment as a national platform. Its upcoming submission to the DENR–BMB signifies NLC-PH’s dedication to helping deliver the country’s biodiversity targets and elevating the voices of farming communities in conservation planning and action.