this story originally appeared in the philippine daily inquirer on April 9, 2005.
Born in the fertile agricultural land of Makilala, Cotabato, I grew up being familiar with farming and the people involved in it. In my neighborhood, most people depend on farming as the only or primary source of livelihood. And, although I myself do not belong to a farming family, I learned many things about farming from my close relatives who were with non government organizations engaged in agricultural development.
Farmers have always been recognized as the backbone of Philippine society for they collectively share the social responsibility of feeding the Filipino people. Sadly, however, most of the farmers hardly have enough resources to feed their own families, or to provide them with other basic needs, e.g., quality education.
And lacking in education, most Filipino farmers seldom get to participate meaningfully in formulating policies, laws and programs that affect their lives in local, national and international levels. Worse, most of them hardly know their rights as farmers, thus making them very vulnerable to exploitation and poverty.
In my younger days, observing the socio-economic situation in our place, I saw the big gap between the small-scale farmers and the well-to-do entrepreneurs who, in fact, profited from the farmers’ produce.
But the days of my childhood have long passed. The old favorite books have been replaced by new ones, classroom discussions have introduced fresh ideas, and conversations with other people now cover a wider a range of topics and interests.
But after many years of framing strategies and techniques, a skill honed from past studies, the question struck me: What has happened to the Filipino farmers? And it brought my thoughts back to the familiar farm workers of my childhood-and I looked up for the answers through my Research Method class.
I wanted to get the true profile of the small-scale Filipino farmer in contemporary Philippine agricultural economy. And soon, I found myself-hope and excitement all over me-in Los Amigos, Tugbok and in Wangan, Calinan-two neighboring communities in the semi-rural, semi-urban parts of Davao City. I met the farmers there, face to face, as if they had been waiting for me, ready and willing not only to share their thoughts about Philippine farming but also to reveal their very lives as farmers.
I remember Manong Tibaw. He was a small, thin, friendly looking man with seemingly Vietnamese features. An active farmer-leader, he talked of many concerns and told me many things about farming, and he certainly helped a lot in the development of my research.
There was Manang Edeliza, the dark, stout woman in her golden years. Manang Edeliza had been in Los Amigos for more than 34 years. She said she worked with her husband in the 1.2667-hectare farm acquired under the government’s land reform program. She never lost her timid smile during our conversation.
I also still remember the shy Manang Agnes, Ate Lorna (who answered my questions with curt replies), and the oh-so-talkative Ate Vicky (who spent most of the interview narrating about the family with whom she had a dispute over the land that she and her family now cultivates). There were also the 38-year-old bachelor, Kuya Raul, who devoted much of his time to his farm, the petite Manang Kiling who was very proud of her backyard garden, and the 67-year-old Lolo Wilfredo who kept on answering my questions in English.
Asked about their present situation in relation to the other sectors in the agricultural economy, one of them answered that the farmers should take the lead and should not be made mere “instruments” of large agricultural corporations. Someone lamented about his present condition, bitter about his life as a farmer amid the declining prices of farm products, which to him was the worst problem the farmers faced.
Pitiful indeed is the Filipino farmer, others attested. Farming needs, like chemicals and other production inputs, are very costly. “We buy the requirements at high cost, but we can only sell our farm produce at a low price,” murmured one. The farmer is being pushed to the limits, others added, no thanks to exploitative big business and greedy politicians.
The situation is depressing, many agreed, they have to look for better ways to improve their lives. Then somebody suggested about restoring nature and the environment. Another one said that as farmers, they should own the land they till, that they must be secure in the possession of their land, that a farmer will not care for the land if he does not own it.
That farmers have long been exploited is an issue that every Filipino is familiar with for decades now. Still, it is appalling how they earn the least among those who make their living from the land, even as when they have the most important role as producers of food.
If one listens to the ideas and opinions of farmers, he or she will realize how basic and simple their pleas and aspirations are-a sustainable life in farming. But this will not come about until their rights are given genuine recognition.
“But where is the carabao in all these?” Right, the Filipino farmer can be compared to the seemingly tireless animal that assists him in tilling the land-the water buffalo, the “carabao.” If the carabao wants to live, it must help its master to plow the field. And as his master’s old reliable servant, it interacts and creates other relationship with other life species-the leeches in the muddy water, the mosquitoes around it, the green weeds it treads on, etc. One wonders if it finds farm life great.
In the same way, if the farmer wants to survive, he has to work in the field to support his master-the loved ones that he must provide with food.
But, in a sense, I am also a carabao doing a job in the field-as a student completing my requirements, as a citizen wanting to help my country in my own (definitely) little way, and as a person looking for my purpose in life.
Still, I have my own biases. I just hope that whatever my views are, they reflect the hearts and minds of the suffering Filipino.
And yes, you are a carabao, too, even if you are cultivating the very different field of the intellect. Do well with your work and make your master happy and content.
