Philippines: Killings of peasants as a consequence of their rightful claim for land in Batuan, Masbate Province

René Llabres and Junrie Pagaspas are the latest victims of killings related to the non-implementation of agrarian reform in the Philippines. On July 6th, the two young farmers were killed by unidentified armed men. The killings mark the peak in a phase of violence against the peasant organisation, Samahan ng Magsasaka ng Hacienda Batuan (SAMAHABA), struggling for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) on Hacienda Batuan.  

The lives of the 40 peasants remaining on the Hacienda are at risk. The failure to implement the CARP and the pressure on them to leave the Hacienda violate their right to feed themselves. As such, the members of SAMAHABA must be aided by fast-tracking the implementation of the CARP. Please send a letter to the President, Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo and the Department of Agrarian reform (DAR), requesting them to protect the peasants and their access to the land.