Selling 13% of Philippine land, a taste of Cha-Cha’s total economic sabotage

Kilusang Mayo Uno and Anakpawis Partylist strongly called for the cancellation of an agreement for the reforestation of 400,000 hectares of Northern Luzon for biodiesel production.

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas earlier revealed that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources allowed a Japanese firm based in the UK, Pacific Bio-Fields Holding, and its local counterpart, Bio-Energy NL, to utilize an area equivalent to 13% of Philippine land for coconut biodiesel plantation for the next 50 years.

“This gives us a glimpse of what  the 100% sell-out of our country’s resources looks like. This is the kind of outrage that Cha-Cha will allow to happen. This is the kind of bribe that Arroyo wants to give foreign capitalists through  the Cha-Cha, in exchange of their support for her political survival,” said Joselito Ustarez, KMU Executive Vice President.

“This is a most brutal betrayal of national patrimony. Arroyo is paving the way for out and out  recolonization of the Philippines.

“Our people are driven away from their homes, obliged to toil lands they can never own, forced to work in foreign multinationals under cruel working conditions, and this is already happening  even without the Cha-Cha.

“The Arroyo regime makes it very difficult for Filipinos to acquire land ownership, while it speedily grants exclusive use of more than a tenth of our national territory to foreign companies. Clearly, Gloria Arroyo has once again proven her faithful service to foreign interests.

“We should deliver our full defiance to foreign exploitation and plunder, to Arroyo and her Cha-Cha, before all that is left of what we have is gone,” challenged Ustarez. ###