DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The “One Billion Rising” global movement has joined in the farmers’ camp-out protest dubbed as “Kampuhan sa Dabaw” and called for the genuine implementation of land reform.
On Friday, women and men performed the OBR’s dance together with Gabriela Rep. Emma De Jesus and OBR global director Monique Wilson to show their support to the struggles of farmers and Lumad.
Wilson said the issue of the farmers and Lumad has no difference with their campaign against exploitation of women as it is also an exploitation of their right.
“Farmers, workers and other youth sector from 200 countries worldwide will see this protest and will be inspired especially now that there are a lot of happening in the world such as fascism, imperialism,” she said.
Meanwhile, De Jesus assured farmers and Lumad that their issue will be addressed in Congress.
“We will try our best to address your calls, we will file resolutions, do debates but the most important of all is to be with the farmers and Lumad because the Congress is just one of the branches only, the people will still be the one to decide,” she said.
De Jesus said that even if there are 85 congresswomen now in the 17th congress, “still they have ties with the elite and capitalists.”
“We thought that having 85 congresswomen is a victory already but most of them are wife, child, or relative who become a representative for businessman and landlords,” she said.
OBR is slated on Feb. 14 with the theme: “Women Rise in support of the Peace Talks, Call for the Release of Political Prisoners, Defend IP Ancestral Domains and Struggle against Neo-Liberal Policies”, it links the struggle of women to the fight against global capitalist structures. (davaotoday.com)
