by Ellen Dee Dego
Gabriela Women's Party and Innabuyog-Gabriela led the Baguio celebration of International Working Women's Day by holding a forum on the fight against Rice Tarrification Law on March 9 at the People's Park.
Innabuyog-Gabriela also invited Baguio folks to sign a petition to scrap the Rice Tarrification Law.
The celebration highlighted the theme, "Cordillera Women, Rise for Ancestral Land, Food, Rights and Dignity."
This year's celebration coincides with Innabuyog's 30th anniversary.
In a statement by Innabuyog and Apit Tako, the Rice Tariffication Law, implemented on March 5, 2019, is not in favor of rice producers and consumers alike.
"Ti pudno nga iniyanak ti RTL (Rice Tarrification Law) ket nakaro a krisis para kadagiti mannalo a prodyuser ti irik, kasta met iti naruway nga umili a konsyumer ti bagas," the statement read.
(The real effect of the RTL is more crisis for the producers of rice, as well as rice consumers.)
"Imbes a liberalisasyon ti merkado ti ipagna na, ti rumbeng nga ipagna ti gubyerno ket panangipadur-as iti kapasidad dagiti mannalon iti Pilipinas a pakanen ti intero a nasyon a Pilipino," they added.
(Rather than liberalization of the market, the government cut the capacity of farmers to feed the entire Philippine nation.)
Jeanree Gabaen, advocacy officer of the Cordillera Women's Education Action Research Center, said that the international campaign of the International Working Women's Day is "Women's Global Stike."
She emphasized that the campaign means liberation, not only individual liberation but collective liberation.
"This is not just a liberation of clothing but deeper liberation, which is han da problemaen ti makan da, lalo na ta Philippines is dominantly into farming," Gabaen said.
(This is not just a liberation of clothing but deeper liberation, which is for them not to worry about their food, especially since the Philippines is dominantly into farming.)
Other groups that joined included the KALIPI, Innabuyog-Gabriella Youth, Cordillera Women's Education Action Research Center and other schools.
Other activities were the One Billion Rising Dance, Freedom Wall: The Change that Women Want and display of booths exhibiting artworks and photos about the history of the International Working Women's day.
Innabuyog-Gabriela led the One Billion Rising.
Edited by Antoinette Mandap
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