The public space fronting the town market has been a traditional venue for progressive groups to air their sides against the government in indignation rallies in the past.
That was then when Boholanos were still tolerant of the left leaning organizations that have instigated communities into joining the armed movement or kept an unhealthy disrespect to the government.
Now things have changed.
A sizable crowd, this time tamer than the past crowd, about 150 farmers and fisher folks stood at proper distances mandated against COVID and from possibly infecting each other, arms outstretched unfurling the same ramie sacks “of old times” painted with slogans and demands.
Instead of the blaring and revolting red paint in these placards, it is cool light blue, signifying peace.
This is a peace rally, orderly, disciplined and in fact one would not miss the utter lack of distrust among everyone walking in and about the phalanx of placard-bearing rallyists, as people go about their businesses in the town market.
It would have been different a decade ago.
Any camera bearing media man would be chased, equipment sequestered, films destroyed as organizers find face masks then as an effective cover for effectively hiding personalities than keeping the virus away nowadays.
Since 2010 when Bohol was declared as insurgency free, tradition dictates that farmers allied with the left-leaning Kilusang Magbubukid nga Pilipinas (KMP) have used Hugpong sa mga Mag-uuma nga Bol-anon (HUMABOL) to do the ‘dirty work’ in setting up the succeeding indignation rallies.
“Then HUMABOL mustered large crowds to join them by evicting those farmer members who refuse to join them in the picket-lines. Now, farmer members have seen the mockery that the organization in the principles the farmers hold sacred,” shared a female former New People’s Army supporter by night and a barangay secretary in a Bohol barangay said.
“Mga lider sa HUMABOL, kaalyado sa CPP-NPA,” declares a placard carried by an adult farmer who claims he is from Trinidad Talibon Integrated Farmers Association (TTIFA).
TTFA is a farmers’ association that has settled in an abandoned cattle ranch in the mountains of Talibon and Trinidad and have claimed the lands as their own, where they established what they sold to international funding agencies as effectively-run communal farms.
A member of the Hiniusang Makinasudnong Mag-uuma sa Trinidad (HIMAMAT) roughly translated as Peasant Movement in Trinidad; the municipal chapter of the HUMABOL, the provincial Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chapter, TTIFA community came about by HUMABOL’s calling landless farmers to occupy the allegedly sequestered lots from Marcos cronies Cojuangco, Mitra and Villareal.
It was this set up that TTIFA community grew in size, attracting more farmers.
It was also the same set up that has disillusioned new members who were accordingly forced to attend indoctrination sessions, so they would not be expelled from their illegally occupied lands.
In the past years, reports of TTIFA members who refused to go level up from the indoctrination sessions to street rallies, were fenced inside their home lots, their water service and access cut off.
“Ang mga liders sa HUMABOL nga nagmugna sa TTIFA, mga alyado na sa Communist Party of The Philippines-New People’s Army, (CPP-NPA), kadtong dili mopamembro sa ilang kalihukan, papahawaon sa yuta nga ilang gisaad, karon nga naa nay mga titulo sa yuta nga ipanghatag sa mga mag-uuma, ila na hinuon nga babagan? Asks Raul Suarez, a TTIFA member but has a mouthful against the progressive organization he accused of curtailing human rights of the farmers.
“Sakto na ang pagpanggamit sa mga kabus, sakto na ang pagpanggamit sa mga inosente nga mga mag-uuma sa Trinidad nga wala masayud sa matuod nga demokrasya,” croaks Suarez who was animated in his speech and at times on the edge of tears against the midmorning sun.
Behind him, a speaker who earlier took the microphone, strongly condemned the communists and terrorists whom he associated with the groups HUMABOL assisted in taking over the idle abandoned cattle ranch.
“HUMABOL KMP, ajaw babagi ang release sa titulo sa mga mag-uuma sa TTIFA,” he shouted, confidently raising a fist which he apparently took after years upon years of joining the group rallies.
Karon, International Human Rights Day, manawagan ko og hustisya nga mga sundawo, pulis, mga barangay officails ug inosente nga sibilyan nga inyong gipangpatay, he roared, a slight waver in his voice amplified by the sound system rolled across the thoroughfare.
Mavelyn Buno, a wife of a farmer who was attracted by the free lands at TTIFA also accused the HUMABOL of recruiting kids for the armed movement.
Working as a Barangay Health Worker (BHW), Buno said she was even recruited to be part of the NPA medical team and Community Health Worker at night, while working in government by day. She found an excuse by taking the church-organized catechism seminar instead.
In her catechism classes in fact, she said NPAs would listen to make sure she does not influence the kids against the rebels.
They were, listening, and at times, I was forced to join in their seminars. That was then I realized, I was not reared to hate the government, my father made sure of that, she shared.
Their seminars were allegedly laced with inputs, all criticizing government and instigating people to topple the government, and she was with young kids there, she added.
“Stop playing with the minds and idealism of our youth, young people, do not be swayed by the sweet words of the NPAs, you have the right to live the lives you want, and you have the right to live in peace like any ordinary young teen-ager,” she called.
“This is a senseless fight, Filipinos against Filipinos, we can’t talk with bullets, let’s talk like real talk,” Jose Gamayot issues the challenge. “Stop messing with the youth, enough!”
“Fifty two years of struggle, decades of sacrifice to topple the government but then, where are our leaders? Safe in their homes, watching TV, while we rest in hammocks, eaten by mosquitoes? This is not fair! I have to stop this nonsense,” he said in a familiar Boholano accent .
Pulos pasalig, pulos pangdaut, daghang kinabuhi nga nasayang, asa ra man ang human rights ani? He asked.
Surrender na lang mo, ang government daghan og tabang alang kaninyo pinaagi sa ECLIP. Sakto na. Panahon na nga suportahan nato ang ELCAC, Gamayot called.
Ten years ago, this same place would have been abuzz, stalls possibly closing for fear of any ensuing trouble brewed in the mad howls and protests.
This is IHRDay 2020 in Bohol, one that would be remembered as the day when a flash rally against local administration would have pushed through, had the organizers thought of keeping children away from the maddening rallies that would scar them through life.
“There were truckloads, loaded with children, going to the town center, but we have to stop them and send them back. They can not involve children in rallies, it is against the law and the international treaties on rights of the child,” a policeman manning the border security for COVID control said.
In Loon and in Pilar, where unconfirmed reports of flash rallies were planned, police officials said there were none so far, no organization was able to organize such. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)
ENTITLE TO TTIFA TITLES. Farmer members of the Trinidad Talibon Integrated Farmers Association (TTIFA) who refused to join HUMABOL in their street rallies now ask HUMABOL to stop barring the government from awarding to the farmers land titles. The farmers also asked HUMABOL, whom they accused of an unholy alliance with the CPP-NPA, to own up the responsibility of the killings of soldiers, police and barangay officials who stand in their way, during the International Human Rights Day celebrations, Dec. 10. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)
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