27 years
of
Community Service
MUNTING NAYON
News Magazine
Operated by couple Eddie Flores and Orquidia Valenzuela
News and Views of the
Filipino Community Worldwide
NEWS RELEASE

Migrante community activists troop to Philippine Consulate over Kidapawan Massacre



By Luisito Queano
Toronto-Canada
April 24, 2016

 
 


It was a show of force when  group of fourteen (14) community activists led by Bayan-Migrante Canada stormed the Philippine Consulate Toronto Office to protest the Aquino government’s criminal neglect of the Kidapawan farmers.

At around 1 PM on April 22, the Phililippine Consulate office in Toronto Canada was caught by surprise when Migrante community activists carrying placards that said “Don’t Starve and Shoot the Farmers” and wearing black t-shirts printed with “Bigas Hindi Bala” (Rice/Food Not Bullets) silently walked inside the consulate office for about 5 minutes.

The silent protest surprised the staff and personnel of the Philippine Consulate.  The consulate staff threatened the protesters that they would be calling the police if they would not stop the protest.

 “Bawal po iyan dito! “(It’s not allowed here!) one of the consulate personnel was overheard shouting at the protesters.

Jesson Reyes, Migrante Regional Coordinator, in his statement after the protest action said: “ This is part of the ongoing actions being held almost weekly in Toronto to protest the criminal neglect of the Aquino administration of the Kidapawan farmers.  We have been holding protest actions since  the violent dispersal was done against the 6,000 farmers in Kidapawan North Cotabato on April 1 that killed two (2) farmers and injured more than 100 farmers. They were only asking for rice but the government gave them bullets instead.”

Last April 6,  Migrante sent a letter of protest to the Philippine Consulate office in Toronto and was personally delivered by Bern Jagunos of ICHRP Canada, Rafunzel Korngut of Gabriela Ontario and Viel Perida of Anakbayan Toronto.  That same day Migrante Canada held a candlelight vigil at Bathurst-Wilson Parkette in honor of the victims of Kidapawan massacre including those injured in the protest and illegally arrested and detained farmers.

“The issue here is very clear: these 6,000 farmers who occupied Kidapawan highway since March 30 were asking for rice subsidy as part of the calamity funds from the government but they were instead fired at with bullets. The protest group included women and children, and also women advocates for peasants’ rights, and they were all begging for sacks of rice due to the prevailing drought there. Filipino women today bear the brunt of poverty – and in critical conditions like drought affecting 237, 000 hectares of land, they are thrown into misery – and yet the government resolves this problem by ignoring it,” according to Petronila Cleto of Gabriela Ontario,  one of the activists who took part in the mass action at the Philippine Consulate.

“The women courageously joined the men in protesting this neglect, and we see the “final answer” of this  callous and incompetent government in its extreme form of violence: the outright killing of its own people,”  Cleto added.

Latest reports said many other protest rallies and mass actions are happening nationwide including the 3,000 farmers from South Cotabato who camped out at the Department of Agriculture Region 12 Office, 2,000 farmers from Cagayan de Oro and 5,000 from Bukidnon. The island-wide protests against hunger escalated to farmers in Luzon including that of Hacienda Luisita.

    Tweet
    MoreLittle Miss Philippines Canada 2016 Pre-Pageant
    Fe Taduran

    TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA - The Little Miss Philippines Canada 2016 candidates of the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF) showcased their talents and beauty during the Pre-Pageant show held May 7th at the Korean Cultural Centre in Toronto....
    MoreIncredibowls clinched ‘7th Season Cebu Pacific’ Volleyball Championship in Riyadh
    J. Nava Cruz

    Grand champion in 2014 and 2015, Incredibowls is still in the state of euphoria after clinching their 3rd FAPS volleyball grand champion title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia via the recently concluded battle of volleyball heavyweights ‘7th Season Cebu Pacific FAPS Men’s Volleyball League 2016’ held last month at the Yamamah Sports Complex in Riyadh.   
     ...
     
    MoreHow do you deal with children having special needs? A modest tribute to the work of the Missionaries of the Poor
    Carlos A. Arnaldo

     
    As part of the college course, Life and Works of Rizal, I ask my students to...
    MoreReminiscences of a Cultural Worker
    Renato Perdon

    I have always been conscious of my Chinese heritage from my maternal side. My mother, a half Chinese-Filipino, always reminded...
    More118TH PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION IN BELGIUM
    Minabelle Siason

    Date: June 12, 2016 (9:30 – 19:00)
    Venue: Beurshal, Hauwerstraat 2
    BRUGGE-BELGIUM
     
    ...
    MoreA PRIVILEGE EVENING WITH THE GARRIDO FAMILY
    Li Eron

    Hamilton is far and the invitation came a little late plus one of our cars broke down. I was about...
    MoreRELIVING THE  PH ELECTION LANDSCAPE
    Pablo A. Tariman

                If you managed to survive the last elections, this is a good time as any to re-live it...
     
    More`CON AMOR’ FOUNDATION B0ARD MEMBERS VISIT PROJECTS IN PHILIPPINES
    By: Orquidia. Valenzuela,  as reported by Myrla Danao

    Businessman Jaap van Dijke, chairman and two board members, Myrla Danao and Dr. John Deen of Con Amor foundation in...
    MoreArt Creations
    Vicente Collado Jr.

    Welcome!

    Many believe formal training is a prerequisite to quality in painting. Not a few will agree with me one can...
    MoreTHE CHILDREN IN DON MANUEL GK VILLAGE
    Orquidia Valenzuela Flores

    Sixty-three children from age three to six years, in the very poor community of Don Manuel village in Barangay...
     
    Disclaimer

    Contents posted in this site, muntingnayon.com, are the sole responsibility of the writers and do not reflect the editorial position of or the writers' affiliation with this website, the website owner, the webmaster and Munting Nayon News Magazine.

    This site, muntingnayon.com, the website owner, the webmaster and Munting Nayon News Magazine do not knowingly publish false information and may not be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages arising for any reason whatsoever from this website or from any web link used in this site.