📷Amihan Women
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) today demanded urgent compensation for farmers and fisherfolk, who remain the most vulnerable to the worsening impacts of climate disasters and government neglect. The group criticized the Marcos Jr. administration’s failure to address the devastation caused by successive typhoons, compounded by destructive projects such as large-scale mining, quarrying, and logging. Peasant women from Laguna, Bulacan and Camarines Sur joined the protest outside the Department of Agriculture this morning to demand urgent and significant compensation for calamity-stricken farmers.
“Hindi sapat ang dasal bilang tugon sa lumalalang epekto ng kalamidad,” according to peasant leader Danilo “Ka Daning” Ramos who scoffed at Marcos Jr’s “call for prayers to weather the storms and the destruction they bring.”
Data from 2022 to 2024 reveal a staggering toll: over 85 million people affected, massive agricultural losses amounting to billions of pesos, and widespread destruction of infrastructure. In 2023 alone, El Niño inflicted P15.3 billion in agricultural damages, displacing over 334,000 farmers and fishers across 16 regions. This year, Super Typhoon Pepito and other weather disturbances have impacted more than 10 million Filipinos, with agricultural losses initially reaching more P6 billion and infrastructure damages pegged at P10 billion.
“Farmers and fishers are at the frontlines of these climate catastrophes, yet they are left with empty promises and token relief,” said Ramos. “The Marcos Jr. regime cannot masquerade as a ‘climate champion’ while ignoring its duty to ensure disaster preparedness and post-calamity aid and compensation.”
KMP emphasized that the destruction wrought by climate change is exacerbated by systemic issues such as landlessness and the backward state of Philippine agriculture. The group urged the government to allocate substantial funds for rehabilitation, livelihood recovery, and climate-resilient farming programs, while holding the Marcos administration accountable for its negligence and misplaced priorities.
“Every peso spent on destructive projects such as land-use conversion, large-scale mining, quarrying, logging, among others add to the burden of climate injustice. We demand compensation, justice, and genuine support for our rural communities who produce the nation’s food but suffer the most,” Ramos concluded.
The KMP also called on the public to join ongoing relief and advocacy efforts to stand in solidarity with affected farmers, fishers, and rural families. #
