Philippine Sumilao farmers appeal for global support for return of their land

Walk for Land, Walk for Justice

PANAW Sumilao MPC

San Vicente, Sumilao, Bukidnon

Contact no: +63-908-8849590

Position Paper on the Delayed Distribution of the 144-Hectare Land to Sumilao Farmers

We the Sumilao Farmers walked for more than 1,700 kilometers from Sumilao, Bukidnon to Manila, which started on October 10, 2007 and reached Malacanang on December 18, 2007. We demanded for the return of our 144-hectare ancestral land in Sumilao, Bukidnon.

On March 29, 2008, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between the Sumilao Farmers, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), Office of the President, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Church, thereby giving back the 144-hectare land to us. The next day, we occupied and tilled the 50-hectare land which is part of the 144-hectare contested land. The remaining 94 hectares will be immediately acquired outside the San Miguel Foods Incorporated (SMFI) property.