KATIPUNAN NG MGA LEHITIMONG MAGSASAKA AT MAMAMAYAN SA LUPANG RAMOS (KASAMA-LR)

The Katipunan ng mga Lehitimong Magsasaka at Mamamayan sa Lupang Ramos (KASAMA-LR) is an organization of unified and persistent group of farmers and their families fighting for their rights by campaigning for genuine agrarian reform. KASAMA-LR was established in 2010 by farmers who wished to reignite their drive to fight for their land following decades of both setbacks and a lack of tangible progress.

They currently maintain a “bungkalan” or community farm known as “Bungkalan para sa Tunay na Reporma sa Lupa” (bungkalan) since 2017. This communal farm included 51 hectares of abandoned agricultural land that had previously been converted into dumps; it did not, however, comprise an area designated to be distributed to CARP (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program) beneficiaries. Lupang Ramos (LR) is a 372-hectare agricultural land owned by E. EMRASON stands for M. Ramos and Sons Inc. Sadly due to harassment from EMRASON, and state forces, the bungkalan was reduced to 25 hectares.

Lupang Ramos has been a hotly contested land since the 1980s, with EMRASON and the farmers engaged in an ongoing legal and extralegal struggle over possession. In order to get government backing, EMRASON actively exploited the police force and lobbying, while farmers used the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of the time to buttress their claims to land ownership.

KASAMA-LR and its supporters received constant harrassment, red-tagging, and death threats from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and NTF-ELCAC. They also received threats of demolition. Emmanual Asuncion, one of their supporters, was even murdered on March 7, 2021, which became known as “Bloody Sunday” because of the spate of activist murders that day. Military encampment attempts continue to threaten their community to this day.

They also advocate food sustainability through their practice of science-informed agroecology, transition to crop cycling and organic farming which improved soil health and biodiversity, contributing to the successful mass production of a diverse range of crops, while shifting away from monocropping and synthetic inputs. These innovations began during the pandemic, showing their dedication towards food security in the midst of multiple crises.

Through mobilizations, legal advocacy, and on-the-ground action, KASAMA-LR have also show their unwavering commitment to both sustainable agriculture and the protection of peasant rights, especially for women. Their calls for genuine agrarian reform also intersect with gender issues (women’s rights), right to food and environmental justice, which was duly acknowledged by allied groups like AMIHAN. They have collaborated and led protests with the AMIHAN National Federation of Peasant Women during the International Day of Rural Women. The intersectional nature of their struggle and advocacy further strengthen the calls for more support.