Int’l fact-finding mission in Isabela exposes abuses, landgrabbing

Int’l fact-finding mission in Isabela exposes abuses, landgrabbing

“Farmers are losing their land, their livelihood and their very lives because of this [bioethanol] project,” said, Dioni Yadao of Dagami San Mariano.

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com
Supposedly cheaper, cleaner energy at the expense of the environment and the survival of thousands of subsistence famers and their families? It’s not worth it.

This was the declaration of members of the international fact-finding mission that looked into the circumstances of farmers in San Mariano, Isabela as they battle a bio-ethanol plant in their region. The mission has put together a long list to to back their claim that the supposedly environmental-friendly plant is a bane to farmers.

From May 20 to June 30, representatives from various agrarian rights and environmental advocacy groups conducted a fact-finding mission in San Mariano to unearth the truth behind allegations of land-grabbing by Japanese and Taiwanese business interests and their company Green Future Innovations, Inc (GFI). GFI is run by Japanese firms Itochu Corp and JGC Corp. The mission was led by the People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS), IBON International, Asian Peasant Coalition (APC), Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Danggayan Dagiti Mannalon ti Isabela (DAGAMI).

Mission participants are members of the Organic Consumers Association (USA), Global Forest Coalition (Paraguay), Action Center for Development and Rights (Japan), Friends of Earth (Japan), Philippine Solidarity Network (Canada); and from the Philippines, the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC), Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (Searice), Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (Agham-Philippines), Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (SENTRA) and the peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)

Neither idle nor abandoned lands

San Mariano is a an agricultural town in east Isabela some 400 kilometers north of Manila. It is the country’s largest municipality composed of 36 barrios and a general population of 44,718 people in 7, 796 households.
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Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/06/10/intl-fact-finding-mission-in-san-mariano-isabela-exposes-abuses-landgrabbing/