Poor and landless

Poor and landless

   

  In Tarlac province, about 100 kms north of Manila, Hacienda Luisita was once touted as a showcase of the land reform program. Here, however, CARP has failed to win the hearts and minds of farmers: In recent random interviews, they told Bulatlat.com that their lives have been ruined further because of CARP. Luisita is owned by the family of former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.
     
  One of the workers, Francisco Nakpil, is an agricultural worker in the sugarcane plantation of Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI) for 45 years. When the stock distribution options (SDO) scheme under CARP was introduced in the hacienda in 1989, Nakpil became one of the 7,000 workers who became instant “stockholders” of the agro-corporation. Within 30 years under this scheme, hacienda owners were to transfer 32 percent of the total stocks of the company to the farm workers.
   
  For the past 15 years, Nakpil received an average daily wage of P9, a sack of rice every month, a P4,000 educational loan every June and an average annual three percent profit share of around P2,000. Based on reasonable market price equivalents of the material benefits, Nakpil was in effect getting an average yearly income of P17,760 - or P48.66 daily. For being an HLI stockholder, he also got a 240 square meter home lot.
      
Yet, has Nakpil become richer through the land reform program?
      
Today at 62, Nakpil says he has only a home lot souvenir from the HLI, a P20,000 separation pay, and some P2,600 monthly pension from the Social Security System. His retirement ended his profit share from the HLI. He does not have land to pass on to his children. His monthly pension gave him just P86 a day that can hardly meet his family’s needs.
And so his answer in Filipino: “I am poor, past and present.”


Reaction: 


As a fellow human being, I bad and ungrateful for Francisco Nakpil who have been working diligently and patiently just to make sure to feed and support the needs of his family. This just proves that the Philippine Government doesn't show their full support to the Filipino Farmers, whom I call the Heroes of our Livelihood" because they are the one who plant, grow and collect rice for us to eat something which is the source of our living. The government should do their obligation to focus on the farmers' condition to have their own land to upgrade the country's productivity and and the quality of their goods. In fact, once the government accomplished this tasks, more and more countries will buy our goods in exchange of dollars that will make country's currency higher.

As for those farmers who could not own a land, the government should also add more benefits and laws that could support their families needs like the 13th month pay, Educational Insurance, Bonuses and a Medical Insurance too. The government should also realize that solving these agricultural problems will lead us to economic progress and development. 

I just hope that Francisco Nakpil will be the last one to experience these kind of poverty and hopelessness. His 45 years of service, perseverance and loyalty broke down into pieces. The Government support is a must.