October is Peasant and Indigenous Peoples’ Month in the country. Our local farmers, many of whom are indigenous peoples, form the backbone of our agricultural economy and society. They are the ones providing food on our table, but they are also the most impoverished sector in our country due to contnuing threats of land conversion, deforestaton, mining, building of large dams on their ancestral lands, extreme militarizaton, displacement, disasters and calamites, and climate change.
To show our support and to honor our farmers, the Socio-Pastoral Apostolate-Mission with the Indigenous People (SPA-MIP) and BeneFarms-Manila Priory, in partnership with St. Scholastca’s College Manila, the Tuason Community Center, and local IP farmers of Pampanga, Tanauan, Batangas, Tanay, and Antpolo, Rizal launched the “Farmers’ Tiangge” last October 15, 2022 at the St. Scholastca’s Archives Museum, Subiaco Garden. The Farmers’ Tiangge is our direct missionary work among the indigenous peoples. Our Aeta farmers from Porac and Floridablanca in Pampanga, and Dumagat farmers in Tanay and Antpolo, Rizal are the main partners of this program.
The launch started with an opening liturgy led by Sr. Theodora Bilocura, OSB (SPA Chairperson), followed by the blessing of partcipants and crops by Sr. Pia Lansang, OSB. The main purpose of the Farmers’ Tiangge is to help our local IP farmers contnue tlling and utlizing their ancestral lands, improving agricultural productvity, achieving food security by providing the people access to healthy food at afordable prices, and increasing their income by providing them with a venue to market their harvested crops and products.
The launch is just the beginning of our eforts to provide beter opportunites for our farmers—which will only be sustained if we contnue supportng and promotng their crops and local produce.
May we continue supporting and promoting healthy, organic food and produce of our local IP farmers.
