ACOS

Alliance of Concerned Samareños

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THE NEED FOR THE CREATION OF A PEOPLE’S TASK FORCE

ON POVERTY ALLEVIATION, HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Over the last few years, the severe successions of drought and typhoon, coupled by intermittent outbreaks of crop
infestation, have thoroughly exposed the extreme vulnerability of Western Samar’s agricultural sector, especially
given its most backward state. The government, which has long been remiss in bringing about genuine reforms
and in providing both immediate and long-term assistance, has yet to make any decisive steps to protect and
strengthen this sector. The ongoing global economic crisis continue to undermine local food and cash crop
production. All this evidently has further raised poverty and hunger in the province to a distressingly high level.
The recent national socio-economic surveys which have once again placed Western Samar among the provinces
with the highest incidence of abject poverty and malnutrition merely validate and make this fact official.

In the past few months, foreign firms have renewed their drive to set up mining concessions over vast areas in the
province in complete disregard of an existing provincial ordinance which imposes a 50-year moratorium on large-
scale mining. Despite the resurgence of broad public clamour against the threat of massive environmental
degradation, peasant dislocation, and uninhibitted plunder of our national patrimony, the indecisiveness of
concerned line agencies and local governments has brought the situation to a precarious stand-off.

The escalating military operations covering an extensively large part of Samar have, for the last two months,
already yielded quite a number of reports of human rights abuse. The prospect of another Palparan scenario
happening cannot at all be discounted.

Indeed, these are all urgent matters that deserve utmost attention.

ACOS realizes that in any serious attempt to address all these issues, it is imperative that the historical roots of
these problems and the inherent defects in the country’s economy, political system, culture and foreign relations
are layed bare and carefully examined. The sheer weight and complexity of the challenge to decisively confront
poverty, hunger, repression and environmental degradation furthermore necessitate the concerted effort, the
collective action, of the broadest possible alliance of various concerned sectors.

While the national government, through its numerous agencies, and the local government units are all expected to
design and implement policies and programs to attend to all these concerrns, ACOS relies on the lessons of
history which prescribe that ultimately genuine change can be realized through the active, unrelenting engagement
of the most affected sectors— through the actual economic and political empowerment of the people. And here
ACOS is taking its cue— and much-needed inspiration— from the gallant and organized ranks of the poor
peasants of Western Samar who have, of late, intensified their efforts to put forward their sharpest analyses of
their plight and their most justified agenda and concrete demands.

ACOS takes the initiative to provide venues for study and discussion for the purpose of consolidating and giving
active support to the various calls of the different sectors in the province with regard to poverty, hunger,
repression and the environment. In so doing, ACOS transforms itself into a People’s Task Force on Poverty
Alleviation, Human Rights and Environmental Protection.

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PEOPLE’S TASK FORCE ON POVERTY ALLEVIATION, HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION