The cool breeze caresses my skin as I walk my way towards the porch of a two-storey modest house. I listen to the bustle of the leaves of the nearby trees as it danced to the gentle whisper of the wind.
As I enter the gate, I saw a man standing with his hand on the phone, talking to someone. I come closer and he greets me with a nod, and signaled me to come inside and sit on the sofa.
He hangs up the phone, addresses me and offers his hand for a handshake.
We take a seat on the plush sofa that dominated the large living room. There is a flat screen TV and stereo speakers set on one side of the wall. Pictures of the family dotted the cabinets in the living room, while the wall was filled with certificates and recognition of Nong Lando and his family.
Just then, a woman came in from the kitchen with a tray of 3 cups of coffee and a big plate of biko.
I start our conversation with, “How old are you Nong?”
“I am already 53; Almost a senior citizen!” he jokingly answers while Nang Alice and I smile.
“I should be given a senior citizen discount already as I look old enough to be a senior citizen anyway,” he adds.
“Life has made me old beyond my years. The hardships and obstacles that we struggled through have not been merciful to me, to us. For so long we had difficulty finding ways and means to make a living off the land.”
“It took as years to finally be where we are now, but we have not forgotten what we went through to get here. It becomes our reason to work harder so that our children can live a happy and worry free life.”
The inviting aroma of coffee fills and dominates the living room of the Jaso’s, I take a sip of my coffee as Nong Lando starts telling me his story.
At age 53, Nong Lando or Rolando Jaso has already tasted success. He is happily married to Nang Alice and blessed with four children. His eldest son is now a seaman and his other children are in high school and in elementary. He is one of the respected people in their community.
His social influence grew when he worked as a volunteer Barangay Agrarian Reform Community chairman in 1990.
“Being a BARC chair changed my status in the community. Mas nirerespeto na ako ng mga tao, lalong lalo na ang mga kapwa ko magsasaka,” Nong Lando recounted.
“Dahil din sa experience ko as BARC chairman, nagkaroon ako ng tapang ng loob na tumakbo bilang punong barangay ng aming lugar. Sa awa ng Diyos, nanalo naman ako,” he says.
Nong Lando is the Punong Barangay of Ticol, South Cotabato for three succeeding terms. He is now serving his community with the remaining months of his career as public servant.
“Malaki din ang naitulong sa akin ng pagiging punong barangay. Nakadagdag ito sa aming kinikitang mag-asawa,” Nong Lando adds.
Nong Lando have acquired 3 hectares of land which 2 hectares of it where planted with rice and the rest with coconut trees. They also have one motorcycle which he uses everyday and one multicab which he uses for other occasions, including the hauling of seeds and fertilizers for their farm.
But life is not always like this for Nong Lando. Before he climbed up to the ladder of success, he endured a lot of hardships and difficulties in life as a kid and during the time when he was growing up.
I take another sip of my beverage when he blurts out, “The grip of poverty and oppression are so strong those days.” There was a moment of silence as I look straight into his eyes with curiosity to know why.
Without any cue questions from me, he continues with sadness in his face. “I’m about to get out from bed when I heard intense arguments, shouting, and the helpless voice of my mother as if she is begging for something,” Nong Lando vividly recalled the moment the heirs of the landowner wants them to leave the land they are tilling for so long. He was just a young boy then.
“My father and mother gave 1/3 of the production to the landowner as an arrangement for tilling the land. Yes! We get used to that. But forcing you to leave the land where you draw your living is another sad story,” Nong Lando says with coarseness in his voice.
Nong Lando’s family stayed in the land and continued farming until a case was filed against his father by the heirs of the landowner.
“The whole family was emotionally afflicted when a case was filed against my father. This caused my mother to breakdown.”
“In the end, my mother opted for amicable settlement so that we could live peacefully again. We gave up the upland and agreed to a sharing of 50-50. What hurts most is the cutting of trees which my father had planted and grown without giving consideration.”
Nong Lando also shares that before the agrarian reform program was instituted, farmers in their community are afraid of the landowners. “They are like gods! Whatever they say, farmers obey,” Nong Lando stresses.
Nong Lando expresses his gratitude to the government when the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program was at last instituted in 1988.
“CARP is a key that freed us from the chains of poverty, slavery, and oppression,” Nong Lando says with a big smile and twinkle in his eyes.
“Amidst the remarkable changes CARP has done in my life and the lives of hundreds of farmers, undeniably there are yet aspects of the law that should be amended. There are flaws that need to be addressed.”
He mentions that, “It can be improved by shifting the activity on monitoring because the awarded land should be in the name of the real tiller. It seems that the anti-dummy law has a long way to go in terms of its implementation. My heart ached every time I see Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) selling their rights to other farmers.”
“Now, it is no longer the ARBs in the DAR’s masterlist of EP/CLOA Holders who are in the possession and tilling the land. Tell me if it is fair for those farmers who truly love the land and not legally own such land?” he challenges.
Recalling his experience being the BARC Chairman, Nong Lando voices seriously, “the situation of BARC should be improved also. The BARC plays a very important role in the CARP’s implementation. Since the BARC have to sign in a document, they should be considerably compensated or at least be given incentives. “
“This will boost their morale as their office requires them to defend the right when the wrong is very influential. The pressing farmer-lessee relationship issue and the Leasehold System added up to such difficult position being in the BARC.”
In quiet melancholy of Nong Lando’s experiences as an ARB, I sense how he played his role with dedication and zeal.
When I ask how will the abolition of the DAR affect him, in a very insightful manner, he logically points out that though it will not affect him as a person, he knew for sure that it will affect his fellow farmers especially those who belong in ARB Organizations (ARBOs).
Showing concern for his fellow farmers, Nong Lando worries who will provide free trainings, products development activities, search for market and other support services.
Nong Lando continues, “If ever I have relatives working in DAR, they will lose their job, then how will they provide for their families? Since the program has contributed much to the community and to our country as a whole, the ARBOs might lose motivation in continually improving and the revenue will significantly reduce since there will be decreased number of taxpaying ARBOs and DAR employees.”
Nong Lando adds that DAR is the farmers’ guardian angel.
“Mas mainam na magpatuloy ang DAR sa pagtulong sa mga magsasaka. There are still mean and wealthy landowners who do not respect the rights of the farmers. Understandably, there are no perfect laws but these can be cured through amendments,” he adds.
“Sa totoo lang, walang problema sa programa, subalit napagtanto ko na may problema din sa ugali ng mga kapwa ko magsasaka na dapat baguhin. Ang tagumpay ng tao ay hindi nangyayari sa isang iglap lamang. Sipag, tiyaga at tiwala sa sarili ang sikreto upang makamit ang mga panagarap. Pag maganda ang buhay, masaya ang bukas,” Nong Lando ends.
I thank the couple for their valuable time and ask if it is alright to keep in touch.
“Syempre naman,” they say in unison, and then they laugh as they look at each other’s faces; a silent communication seen in their eyes.
I leave with a full heart and stomach. I realize why I love this job, it is because of people like Mr. and Mrs. Jaso that despite all the challenges in life, can still continue to keep a positive mindset and live their lives with both feet firmly on the ground.
I can say that their life is indeed a story of a beautiful struggle.
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