This piece aims to explore the fascism and military aggression faced by City of San Jose Del Monte (here on out called CSJDM) farmers in the hands of the 80th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in defense of their land.
Over the years, CSJDM's journey to cityhood meant a heightened percentage of agricultural land reclassification. The economic oligarchs prominently proposing infrastructure projects in the City include the Sys (SM Malls), the Ayalas (Ayala Land Inc.), the Villars (Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc.), and the Araneta (Araneta Properties Inc.).
These infrastructure projects span across Baranggay Tukong Mangga and Paradise 3, where farmers are defending their rights to the land, which resulted in harassment and other violent attacks dating from the 1990s up to the present.
According to IBON.org, the General Agricultural Zone (GAZ) size was 1,912.97 hectares (ha) in 2015. Still, by 2022, it had drastically shrunk to 172.30 ha, according to the City of SJDM Ecological Profile 2023. This shows that 1,740.67 hectares of land that was once part of the GAZ have been put to various uses. In the same time frame, 1,357.38 more hectares were allotted to the Agri-Tourism/Innovation Hub (SDZ-1) Special Development Zone. The Commercial-Industrial Zone (C-2) and Light Industrial Zone (LIZ) both saw significant growth. Due to these modifications, several agricultural properties have been categorised by the CSJDM local government for use as business endeavours, real estate development, and tourist attractions.
In order to preserve their lands, farmers from CSJDM formed their peasant groups whose aim was to reject land reclamation projects from interested oligarchs. One of the prominent groups fighting for farmers' rights in CSJDM is the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), who was shot by armed goons and security guards of the real-estate company Araneta Properties Inc. This incident is only one of the many attacks faced by farmers and peasant groups in SJDM.
Where Gated Walls Obstruct the Sun: CSJDM farmers’ plight under militarization and urbanization - A conflict-sensitive in-depth news report
Produced by Angeline Domingo & Michelle dela Cruz
Special thanks to Juriel Dela Cruz