The tandem of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano strongly condemned the reported attack of police forces against local farmers during a violent dispersal of a protest action in Kidapawan City.
“Lagi nila binabantan si Mayor Duterte na pumapatay ng kriminal pero sila ang pinapa-tay nila mga magsasaka,” Cayetano said in reaction to the incident.
“No reason in the world, height of impunity”
“There is no reason in this world to shoot farmers who were merely demanding from the government help from the oppressive drought. This is totally unacceptable. This is the height of impunity,” Cayetano said.
“Mayor Duterte and I vow to seek justice for the farmers. We will hold all those respon-sible for this despicable crime accountable,” Cayetano added.
The tandem expressed their dismay about the general lack of peace and order in the country, which they said resulted from the government’s systemic neglect of the peo-ple’s demand for real change.
The senator said if it were up to him and Duterte, bolder solutions will be set up to ad-dress the light of farmers. This includes 100% free irrigation, budget increased subsidy for production inputs and P1 billion per region for a capital-lending scheme for farmers.
“Panahon na para tapusin ang lahat ng kaguluhang ito. Panahon na para lumikha ng tunay na pagbabago. Under our leadership, no farmer will ever be killed by the state. Mayor Duterte and I will make sure that their welfare will be safeguarded. The produc-ers of our food will also have food on their own tables,” Cayetano ended./DC-HQ
