Cordillera Farmers March on Manila to Protest Farm Crisis

BAGUIO CITY — Farmers and gardeners from the Cordillera brought their grievances to national government agencies Tuesday, launching a two-day campaign to address what they describe as a deepening agricultural crisis. The delegation, organized by the Kanatengan Network and allied groups, traveled to Metro Manila to lodge formal complaints over three primary concerns: escalating production expenses, chronically low prices at farm gates, and competition from agricultural imports flooding domestic markets.

The farmers' mobilization reflects mounting pressure on upland agricultural producers who say they are caught between rising costs for seeds, fertilizers, and labor, and falling revenues as cheap imported produce undercuts local prices. The Cordillera region, a major vegetable supplier to Philippine lowland markets, has seen farmer incomes stagnate even as input costs climb annually.

The delegation plans to submit formal petitions to relevant national agencies and legislative bodies, demanding policy interventions including tariff protections for local produce, subsidies for production inputs, and price support mechanisms. The two-day action represents one of several recent farmer protests nationwide as agricultural communities press government to prioritize domestic food security and farmer viability.

Farmers in the region said the current situation threatens the sustainability of highland agriculture and could accelerate rural-to-urban migration if conditions do not improve. Officials have not yet announced responses to the delegation's demands.