Global Day of Action for Food and Justice for the Victims of the Kidapawan Massacre! JOIN 24hr FASTING in Solidarity with Farmers in the Philippines!

BAYAN USA Joins the Global Day of Action for Food and Justice on April 8, 2016 by calling on all members, allies and friends to join members of the International Committee on Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) USA Network’s call for a 24-hour Fast in solidarity with the victims of the Kidapawan Massacre. The 24-hour solidarity fast with the farmers and Lumad victims of the Kidapawan massacre will launch on April 7 at 6 PM PDT (April 8 at 9 AM in Philippines).

By joining this fast, you, your organization, and your community can stand in solidarity with the farmers and indigenous people in Cotabato and raise awareness about the issue.

For details click on the FB Event: Solidarity Fast with Victims of Kidapawan Massacre  

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS:

1. Take a photo or video of yourself with a sign that states: “I am fasting for 24 hours in solidarity with the protesting farmers in Cotabato and their struggle for food & justice!”
2. Post your photo or video on this page and your social media accounts with the official hashtags #RiceNotBullets, #BigasHindiBala, and#Fast4FilipinoFarmers
3. Tag ICHRP on FB (International Coordinating Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines) & ICHRPnorcal, Twitter (@ichrpnorcal), and instagram (@ichrp.norcal).

During your fast, we encourage participants to fundraise and gather donations by asking for sponsors to contribute $$ per hour, per meal or for the entire day. Donations can be made on www.tinyurl.com/kidapawandonate.

Break your fast with other #Fast4FilipinoFarmers participants, and post the photos with the official hashtags! Thank you for your support, and long live the protesting farmers of Cotabato!”

BACKGROUND: On the morning of April 1, 2016 more than 5,000 farmers and community members staged a protest in the city of Kidapawan-Cotabato, Mindanao demanding immediate relief and aid from the Philippine government due to the severe drought in the region when combined forces of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) opened fire into the crowd including children, killing at least two and injuring more than 116 people. The PNP and AFP continue to harass and intimidate the victims by barricading them in the Methodist Church they sought refuge in. Many supporters of the farmers have donated rice including Filipino Actor Robin Padilla, however their generosity was met with closed doors from the Provincial Government of Lala Talino-Mendoza who took it as an insult to her leadership.  

The Aquino government must also be held accountable for the overall criminal neglect of the conditions of the farmers during the time of El Nino-induced drought. The Aquino legacy is filled with massacres: the Mendiola Massacre, Hacienda Luisita Massacre, the Maguindanao Massacre, the recent increased violence against Lumad in Mindanao, and now the Kidapawan Massacre. Aquino, the PNP, the AFP, and the Provincial Government are all guilty!  

We are calling on the international community to join us in demanding justice for the Kidapawan Massacre! We DEMAND the Aquino government:

1. Release the 74 detained protesters. It is not even clear what charges are being filed against them while they are being held.
2. The wounded and injured should be given medical attention.
3. The demands for rice support and release of calamity funds should be met. There is no reason to prolong the process given the gravity of the situation. There is sufficient rice supply on the part of government. It should be released to the farmers as soon as possible.
4. Police officials involved in the dispersal and shooting of farmers should be relieved pending an impartial investigation.

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