A broad alliance to confront the growing menace of agrochemical transnational corporations (Agrochem TNCs), genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and imperialist globalization was launched today at the Continuing Education Center of the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna. The Resistance and Solidarity Against Agrochemical TNCs (RESIST Agrochem TNCs!) is composed of peasant organizations, scientists, environmental groups, academe, church people, non-government organizations (NGOs) and concerned individuals nationwide.

RESIST Agrochem TNCs lead convenor and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Chair Rafael Mariano said "agrochemical TNCs put profits above the life and health of the people to the extent of inflicting permanent damage to the environment and thereby affecting the biodiversity of life, survival, food security and livelihoods over a billion of peoples worldwide."

Mariano stressed that "liberalization of agricultural trade, propelled by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its Agreement on Agriculture, has only worsened and led the increasing monopolization of the world markets as it favored the strongest trading partners, like the US."

The RESIST Agrochem TNCs said "they bind into one alliance to advance and intensify the on-going struggle against the agrochemical TNCs and assert the right to land  and food without poisons."

In their unity statement, the group vowed to:

1. Challenge and openly confront the agrochemical TNCs and related food and/or agricultural industries on issues pertinent to pesticides, GMOs, food security and land rights. Expose the fraudulent research findings of government agencies and/or private institution funded by the agrochemical TNCs in an effort to mislead if not, to disempower the peasantry.

2. Heighten the campaign against agrochemical TNCs as a strong response against its intensifying monopoly control in agriculture, eroding food sovereignty of the people, increasing landlessness, rising unemployment, and worsening poverty.

3. Reduce, with the aim of elimination, the power and dominance of agrochemical TNCs in intensifying its monopoly control of the world agriculture and putting the food security and sovereignty of the people in peril.

4. Promote as well as advocate for alternative, natural and sustainable farming and the use of indigenous knowledge in agriculture towards food production and push for genuine agrarian reform, according to the principle of 'land to the tiller', as the foremost demand of the Filipino farmers.

Meanwhile, farmers belonging to KMP and members of the scientist group AGHAM staged a protest rally in front of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Quezon City demanding the immediate stop to the multi-location field trials of the controversial Bt Corn conducted by US based agrochem TNC Monsanto, the recall of the governments Policy Statement of Modern Biotechnology and the use of GMOs, and stop liberalization of Philippine agriculture.

"It has become crystal clear that the WTO is mainly to blame for the catastrophe in Philippine agriculture as its policies promote the business interests of TNCs resulting in the displacement of thousands of farmers, domestic food and agricultural sector," KMP said. # # #
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Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Peasant Movement of the Philippines URL: http://www.geocities.com/kmp_ph