Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas
Name	Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas
Formation	1971
Headquarters	Philippines
Region served	Philippines
Leader title	National Chairperson

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas is a Philippine peasant organization founded in the early 1970s that advocates for agrarian reform, rural rights, and farmers' welfare. The group has engaged in mass mobilization, land occupations, and alliances with labor and left-wing formations, operating in regions such as Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Over decades it has intersected with movements including the Communist Party of the Philippines, urban labor unions, and indigenous peoples' organizations, shaping agrarian politics and rural insurgency dynamics in the Philippines.

History

The organization emerged during the administration of Ferdinand Marcos amid social unrest linked to the First Quarter Storm, the Hukbalahap Rebellion's legacy, and widespread peasant unrest in provinces like Nueva Ecija, Isabela, and Camarines Sur. Influenced by international currents exemplified by the Vietnam War and the Chinese Cultural Revolution, its founders drew on traditions from the Peasant movements in the Philippines and contacts with the Communist Party of the Philippines (1968) and the New People's Army. In the 1970s and 1980s the group participated in land occupations and formed alliances with organizations such as the Nationalist People's Coalition-aligned cooperatives, the Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya, and sectoral groups linked to the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. During the People Power Revolution the organization aligned tactically with anti-Marcos forces while maintaining commitments to rural radicalism. Post-1986 administrations including Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos implemented partial agrarian reforms under laws like the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988, prompting shifts in the group's strategies. In the 1990s and 2000s it adapted to neoliberal policy environments under Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Benigno Aquino III, while interacting with international NGOs and donor programs from entities reminiscent of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Ideology and Goals

The movement's ideology synthesizes elements from Marxism–Leninism–Maoism, classical Philippine peasant radicalism derived from the Hukbalahap Movement, and national-democratic thought associated with figures like Rafael Mariano and networks around the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Core goals include comprehensive land redistribution beyond the provisions of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, abolition of landlordism embodied in estates such as those in Mindoro and Palawan, and legal recognition of tenant farmers and sharecroppers in provinces like Bukidnon and Zamboanga del Norte. The group advocates for policy changes in line with international agrarian reforms debated at venues such as the United Nations and regional fora involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Organization and Leadership

Organizationally, the movement combines local chapters in municipalities such as Caloocan, Davao City, and Ilagan with provincial federations and a national coordinating committee. Leadership figures have included veteran agrarian activists linked to peasant networks alongside sympathetic politicians from parties like the Akbayan and personalities associated with the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. It has worked with lawyers from organizations resembling the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) and allied civil society actors including members of Kilusan ng Manggagawang Pilipino and student groups from University of the Philippines. Decision-making typically involves barangay-level assemblies, provincial congresses, and national conventions that convene delegates from federations active in regions such as Ilocos Norte, Benguet, and Leyte.

Activities and Campaigns

Activities have ranged from mass demonstrations in urban centers like Manila to rural land occupations in agricultural zones such as Nueva Ecija rice paddies and Bukidnon plantations. Campaigns include claimstaking, agrarian legal aid, cooperative formation, and public education linking to campaigns run by entities like Anakpawis and Tindig Pilipinas. The movement has organized strikes, land distribution drives, and electoral support campaigns for sympathetic candidates in municipal and congressional contests such as those in Sorsogon and Cebu. It has also engaged in international solidarity actions with peasant networks akin to La Via Campesina and exchanges with labor federations similar to Sentro Ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa. In disaster-prone areas, the group coordinated relief distribution in the aftermath of events like Typhoon Haiyan alongside humanitarian NGOs.

Political Influence and Alliances

The movement has exerted political influence through alliances with left-of-center parties and sectoral coalitions including Anakpawis, Makabayan Bloc, and sympathetic members of Lakas–CMD at various times. It has fielded or backed candidates for local offices and has negotiated with administrations from Corazon Aquino to Rodrigo Duterte over agrarian policy implementation tied to institutions such as the Department of Agrarian Reform. The organization has engaged with church-based networks like National Council of Churches in the Philippines and Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines on land reform ethics, and it has joined international campaigns against policies promoted by platforms such as Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.

Controversies and Government Response

Controversies surrounding the movement include allegations of links to the New People's Army, accusations of illegal land seizures affecting landlords and corporations including agribusiness interests in Davao del Sur and Cotabato, and clashes with security forces under administrations that invoked anti-insurgency campaigns like Oplan Bantay Laya. Government responses have included legal prosecutions, arrests of activists, proscription debates in legislative bodies, and negotiated amnesties in some periods. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines have documented incidents involving members, while national security agencies have characterized certain actions as threats to public order. The movement has faced internal debates over engagement with electoral politics versus continued mass mobilization and armed struggle alignments, influencing its strategic posture under presidents including Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Rodrigo Duterte.

Category:Political movements in the Philippines Category:Peasant organizations