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| Rene Peņas: Agrarian Reform Advocate, Peasant Leader and Paralegal |
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by Atty. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao* I was a young lawyer when I met a group of farmers in 1995 in one of our legal consultation sessions on agrarian reform. “We have accomplished the farmers’ undertaking with the Municipal Agrarian Reform Office (MARO) and we have been waiting for the DAR to cover the landholding. What do we do next?” asked a farmer leader. With that simple question, with neither drama nor fanfare, my relationship with the MAPALAD farmers of Sumilao began. With that very simple question, the journey of Rene Peñas through the world of paralegalism began. Several weeks after that meeting, the Mapalad farmers received a subpoena from the court to respond to the cancellation of title case filed by Norberto Quisumbing against the Mapalad farmers. This case deeply troubled the farmers, because aside from knowing for the first time that the land they been pushing for has already been transferred to them, the threat of the P10M damage suit filed by the Quisumbings against them was simply beyond their comprehension. They were very scared because they thought they will be brought to jail. For us lawyers, the case then was very simple especially since the Sumilao farmers were already owners of the 144-hectare property. In hindsight, we have underestimated the lengths that the landlords and their allies within government will go in order to subvert agrarian reform. With this simple case, the 12-year struggle of the Sumilao farmers began. Ka Rene eventually became the president of the Mapalad Multi Purpose Cooperative and thus he was at the forefront of everything that was related to their land struggle. He has an insatiable drive to learn the laws and the issues that surround their case. When the maneuverings of the landlords transformed this simple agrarian case into a complicated legal battle, Rene was ready with his sharp questions and every lesson he got, he embraced it not only in his mind but also in his heart. He would ask me to spend days and nights in Sumilao, Bukidnon to discuss the laws related to their case. He wrote legal arguments with us. One day he showed me a piece of paper outlining the Administrative Orders that were violated by the former landowners. He began collecting books, and in his funny ways would brag that he already memorized the Constitution more than I did. Watching footages of Rene in the Sumilao segment of Ditsi Carolino’s “Lupang Hinirang”, I cannot help but be amazed at the passion, eloquence and sharpness of his speeches. As a peasant leader in the midst of a cruel struggle, Rene did not demand sacrifices from his fellow farmers that he himself cannot endure. He was among those who led their land occupation in 1995. Barely a few hours into their occupation of the land already titled to them, they came face to face with the brute force of the armed goons who did not think twice about using their guns to sow fear in the hearts of the farmers. He was among those who endured the 28-day hunger strike in front of the DAR office in Manila in 1997. He also endured the heat and the polluted air of Padre Faura when the Sumilao farmers held a picket in front of the Supreme Court for a couple of months in 1999. He led the Sumilao farmers’ historic 1,700-kilometer march from Sumilao to Manila. For more than two months, Rene and the Sumilao farmers braved the heat of the sun, the rain, the muddy roads, as well as fatigue due to lack of sleep. When the Sumilao began the march, many people advised them not to proceed because what they are about to do is impossible. But Rene would always tell me that there is no other way, and this is the best time. If they do not do anything, they will definitely lose. If they walk and are able to reach Malacanang in Manila, they may or may not get the land. There is still no guarantee that they will win but at least they can hold on to that thin ray of hope that maybe, their walk will show their suffering as well as the scandalous injustice committed against them. Through the walk the Sumilao farmers were able to convince the public that the law is on their side. This forced the government to notice them and eventually recognized their rights over the 144 hectares of agricultural land. From the simple farmer with a simple question that I came to know, the Sumilao farmers’ 12 years of struggle has molded Rene into a seasoned peasant leader who is capable of national leadership. Despite holding a national position, Rene did not lose sight of what is essential. His passion for the struggle for agrarian reform is manifest when he held in a victorious gesture the soil of the 144-hectare land in the palm of his hand. His more than a decade of struggle has led him to embrace not only his issues but it has led him to embrace the struggles of other farmers as well. Even before he could harvest the first crops he planted in the land they won in Sumilao, Rene was again on the road leading the Banasi farmers in their 444-kilometer march from Camarines Sur to Manila. Like the march of the Sumilao farmers, the Banasi farmers were also victorious. Rene’s passion for agrarian reform and peasant rights did not end with these victories. He became one of the more active peasant leaders who were at the forefront of the struggle to pass CARPER. Most will remember Rene as the leader of the Sumilao farmers, the tireless advocate for CARPER and agrarian reform. I will remember him for the man he was – his simple questions, his funny stories, joke and antics. I will remember the arguments we had about strategies and tactics. I will remember Rene as the farmer who taught me about the struggle more than I have taught him. Years from now, when I look back on my involvement in the struggle of the Sumilao farmers and the passage of CARPER, I will be humbled by the memories of Ka Rene. Should I face impossible and hopeless situations, my memory of Rene and the struggles we shared will give me reason to hope and continue fighting. “Ang paralegalismo ang pinakamagandang nangyari sa mga magsasaka, pero bayad na ako sa iyo ha. May mga sumunod na sa akin [Paralegalism is the best thing that happened to peasants, but now we’re even, I’ve paid my due. There are now new leaders taking my place] ” he told me once. He was referring to the younger generation of peasant leaders like Yoyong and Pao who he helped train as paralegals. If only Rene knew, he molded me well too. *Atty. Arlene “Kaka” J. Bag-ao is a lawyer with Balaod Mindanaw and legal counsel of Sumilao farmers |
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