By Lora Noreen Domingo July 18, 2020 SARIAYA, Quezon - San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is set to build an industrial complex that thre...
July 18, 2020
SARIAYA, Quezon - San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is set to build an industrial complex that threatens to demolish four barangays in Sariaya, Quezon and displace 3,000 farmers and fishermen.
The communities of coconut farmers, copra producers and fisherfolk in Barangay San Roque, Barangay Talaan, Barangay Castañas, and Barangay Limbon will be evicted from their homes and source of livelihood to make way for SMC’s proposed industrial zone. This includes a coal-powered plant, cement grinding plant, brewery, tank farm, and pier and port facilities, as listed in SMC President and COO Ramon Ang’s letter to the Quezon Provincial Council last year seeking the council’s endorsement and approval.
SMC projects are also set to be built in the nearby town of Pagbilao which include a 1,200 megawatt power plant, deep sea port, dressing plant, slaughterhouse, ready-to-eat (RTE) plant, logistics center and quarry mine.
SMC has exercised aggressive methods in evicting the residents in the barangay, according to Pinagkaisang Lakas ng Magbubukid sa Quezon (PIGLAS-Quezon). As of July 6, residents of Sitio Taywanak, Barangay Castañas were still being forcefully evicted from their homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a position paper by fisherfolk and farmers from Barangay Guisguis San Roque, Sariaya, Quezon, the residents said they have been experiencing continuous harassment and threats as early as 2015. They reported an increase in military presence in their barangay, frequently conducting “visitations” to harass the residents.
In the same statement by the residents of Barangay Guisguis San Roque, New Ventures Realty Corporation, a company with close ties to SMC, has also been allegedly complicit in evicting the residents. SMC claims rights to at least 17 hectares of agricultural land near coastal areas by presenting a “demand letter” and threatening to file court cases to those who will refuse to leave.
Local organizations have held the Duterte administration accountable for the attacks on their communities under the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” Program, which has fast-tracked the intrusion and destruction of communities for “development projects,” destroying the lives of peasants, fisherfolks, and the urban and rural poor.
Anakbayan-Quezon, a youth mass organization, is alarmed that the newly-signed Anti-Terrorism Law will further endanger the fishers and farmers and aid the administration to evict the residents from their land and suppress their struggle.
“Ngayong may ATL na, lalong pwedeng maging madali sa Estado na palayasin sila at buwagin ang kanilang paglaban. Kung magkaroon ay papabor ito sa interes ng kapitalistang SMC. Pero gaya rin nung unang mga serye ng paninindak, bibiguin ng mamamayan ito,” said Anakbayan-Quezon’s spokesperson in a statement. [P]
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