BUKIDNON, PHILIPPINES – The story of the Sumilao farmers boasts of a successful but long and hard struggle for their right to land. In 1997, 18 members of Mapadayonong Panaghiusa sa mga Lumad Alang sa Damlag (MAPALAD) went on hunger strike to demand that 144 hectares of their ancestral land be given back to them. […]
LEYTE, PHILIPPINES – Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the Philippines in November 2013, taking more than 7,000 lives and affecting more than 14 million people in 44 provinces. With overall damages at USD 5.8 billion, Super Typhoon Yolanda also disrupted the livelihoods of 5.9 million workers and destroyed 33 million coconut trees which are a […]
SOUTH COTABATO, PHILIPPINES – The Federation of Free Farmers South Cotabato in Surallah, South Cotabato was established in 1972, working on agrarian issues of farmers. Like many organizations, it experienced its share of struggles in keeping their organization active. They transformed themselves into a cooperative in the 1980s up to the 2000s but failed to […]