Stories of Struggle: Experiences of Land Reform in Negros Island, Philippines

by Sarah Wright, Ma. Diosa Lebiste

Stories of Struggle is a meticulously researched and powerful account of the lived experiences of land tillers, their families, communities, and support organizations in the fight for land reform in Negros Occidental, Philippines.

Combining acute historical and political analysis with case study data, the book demonstrates that land reform is an ongoing matter of conflict and inequality, produced at the nexus of the legacy of the hacienda system imposed under Spanish colonial rule and the governmental turn toward neoliberal market approaches.

Alongside the hardships recounted in this book is a strong message of hope for people-centred land reform, illustrated through the inspiring work of the Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG) group in supporting farming communities.

“This book is a must-read for scholars in critical development studies and human geography, rural and agrarian sociology, history and postcolonial studies, political economy and global trade, and Southeast Asian studies.”
— Professor Gavin Jack, Monash University,
Australia

“We hope that this book, which marvellously links the history of PDG with agrarian reform and the struggles of farming communities on the island of Negros, will help to make the work of this extraordinary organization more widely known.”
— Quinoa, Development Education NGO, Belgium

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Jan Kashmir · Rating 5 out of 5]

''If you look at their backgrounds, you see they have been in the hacienda system for decades, for generations. They are sacadas. They came from elsewhere just to work hard. They are totally dependent on the landlords. In the off-season, they must rely on landlords. Then in the high season they work hard. They go, they earn. they are hardworking people. They work under the heat of the sun. They are afraid the landlord will disemploy them and they cannot leave for the debts that hold them. These people have been totally subjected by the feudal exploitation of the hacienda system. They are like slaves. They are not allowed to think for themselves. The landlords say, do this, do that. The landlord decide even on aspects of their lives not related to work. The workers become so submissive, so silent, so uncritical. And yet some are critical and sharp but they must keep quiet. They are afraid of losing their job, going hungry. How can they overcome that without hunger? We are fighting against this. We fight with the people against this system. That is why it is so hard, why I say we need the government too, to allow the people to be informed, to really develop. It will take some generations.''

- Atty. Ben Ramos, Jr. (1962-2018)

I remember being asked whether the CPP-NPA's analysis that the Philippines is "semi-colonial and semi-feudal" still holds true decades after Amado Guerrero first published Philippine Society and Revolution, particularly in the context of the passage and implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (and the subsequent extension/s - CARPER - of the program) in the 90s up to the present.

I countered that there was no genuine agrarian reform because landowners' interests were protected by the very lawmakers---themselves from landed families---who drafted and eventually passed into law the CARL. Thus without genuine agrarian reform, the semi-feudal analysis remains valid.

''Work on the haciendas has been, and is still, highly stratified and regulated by complex hierarchical divisions. There is a feudal character to production in Negros that underpins and complicates the capitalist relations associated with the haciendas. It is this neo-feudalism and the subordination of the land tillers that dominate the farmworkers' description of life under the hacienderos. One member of the community, for example, has explained that the main reason farmers wanted to acquire land was to free them from the 'bondage and slavery' of the system''
(p. 142)

While reading Prof. Labiste and Sarah Wright's book about the agrarian reform experience in Negros Island (dubbed as the "bastion of landlordism" in the country), I came across a particular passage which, to me, would have better addressed the question on agrarian reform and the semi-feudal character of our society.

>>The struggle associated with agrarian reform is not over with the redistribution of the land. The people of Bino see their struggle continuing. Not only do they need to continually defend their grains from legal challenges and continued resistance from the landlord, they have also moved their struggle into a new phase focused on making a successful transition to small farmers.

In Horacio Morales and colleagues' study titled Power in the Village (2000), the authors state, 'Land distribution alone does not make agrarian reform. If land distribution is the heart of agrarian reform, post-transfer farm and beneficiary development become its soul. The two aspects of agrarian reform are different but inseparable from each other.'

KABUHI-AN sees a continuity of struggle before and after they accessed the land. For the group, obtaining land is the first stage. With the second, post-distribution phase, within which they can independently decide how to manage their land, the struggle is centered on making the land more productive. What begins with a thrust to subvert entrenched interests and to access land can help lead to successful development and a focus on livelihood and productivity post-transfer<<

The book is a compelling read. The depth in the details of the accounts of the community organizers, PO leaders, and other members of the communities across haciendas makes it even more riveting. The authors tell us about stories of success and of failures, and of the broader struggle to emancipate ourselves from a capitalist and neoliberal system that pushes many of our countrymen further into extreme poverty--starting with the call for genuine agrarian reform. While it is difficult to chronicle the centuries-old problems of land distribution and land ownership in Negros Island (and by extension, the Philippines) in a 164-paged narrative, Stories of Struggle powerfully presents the important lessons and milestones of the farmers' collective struggle in one of the overexploited provinces in the country. Furthermore, it amplifies the greater challenge for the present generation to participate in the struggle for genuine land reform, especially now that it continues to face strong opposition from the influential landed elite.

[Aryanne De Ocampo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took interest in this book as I wanted to learn a bit more of the social and political climate of Negros island, which is an important area in the work of the organization I'm part of (in an altogether different yet not entirely distant aspect of development work). Did not expect just how insightful and impactful this would be. A powerful book that walks you through the land reform landscape in Negros and effectively zooms in and out of the plight of farmers and workers who lived and are still living the struggle for genuine land reform.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book humanizes the experiences of farmers affected by our country’s shitty Agrarian Reform which aims to please the country’s hacienderos, landlords and capitalists rather than the farmers!!! And this is one big reason why our farmers are left in cyclical intergenerational poverty!! >:( This book made me cry out of anger and frustration because politicians and their cronies put themselves first!!! How can we fix a system so broken when those in power bend the rules and laws to benefit them. :-(

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear, engaging, analytically potent book that everyone interested in agrarian change in the global South should read. It's also a great model of collaborative research and writing that honors the voices and insights of ordinary people.