Manila Auxiliary bishop and NASSA chairman Broderick Pabillo went on hunger strike today outside Batasang Pambansa to pressure Congress to act on CARP extension with reforms, otherwise known as CARPER bill HB 4077.
Pabillo is joined by Fr. Archie Casey, SX and nine of Calatagan farmers and 20 others from Task Force Mapalad, Banasi and UNORKA.
Representatives from various women and men religious congregations came to show their solidarity and support of the bishop and the farmers’ cause.
Meanwhile, Congress has started to debate on the bill today with the final voting scheduled on Wednesday before it adjourns for the Christmas break.
It has been earlier reported that several lawmakers against CARPER said that they would only support its passage if the provision on compulsory land acquisition is removed.
AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros, principal author of CARPER said that the landlords in Congress were determined to render the program ineffectual.
“They’ve benefited from the flaws of the program, but now they want to render the program inutile by abolishing its compulsory acquisition provision, heart of this social justice measure,” said Hontiveros.
Farmers from various groups have also voiced out their concerns on the inaction of Congress accusing the House leadership of giving in to the demands of the landlords in the House.
Earlier, some senior members of the hierarchy led by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales has called on the legislators to put ahead the interest of the farmers by passing the proposed law on CARP’s extension with reforms
“Agrarian reform concerns all of us because if it is left unfinished, we would be participants and witness to the poverty of millions of our brothers and sisters and to the perpetuation of injustice,” they said in a letter sent to the House Speaker Prospero Nograles.
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