Sumalo farmers granted temporary freedom amid continuing injustice
January 13, 2025
On January 8, 2025, seven farmer leaders from Brgy. Sumalo, Hermosa, Bataan, were temporarily freed after posting bail for the trumped up charge of a syndicated estafa case filed against them. This came after the Regional Trial Court reduced their bail to ₱50,000 each, from the original ₱200,000. Their release is a small relief in a long battle, but their ordeal is far from over.
The seven farmers presented themselves to authorities on November 5, 2024, after spending nearly two years in hiding since January 2023. They had no choice but to go into hiding due to fears of immediate arrest and possible lifetime imprisonment. The fear stemmed from the charge of syndicated estafa, a non-bailable offense, weaponized against them by powerful entities seeking to dispossess them of their land.
In an earlier attempt to face the allegations, the farmers voluntarily presented themselves to Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jose Crispin Remulla on March 8, 2023, prepared to be detained. However, Secretary Remulla declined to take them into custody. He promised to study their case carefully, recognizing the misuse of the legal system and the weaponization of the law to oppress the marginalized sectors of the society, particularly land rights defenders.
Two of the total of nine accused farmers initially voluntarily presented themselves in the authorities’ custody on April 11, 2024. They were granted bail of ₱200,000 each and were temporarily released on June 13, 2024. Later, on October 3, 2024, the Regional Trial Court dismissed the syndicated estafa charges against these two farmers, citing insufficient evidence. The same resolution applied to the seven farmers released this January, highlighting the weakness of the weight of evidence of the accusations.
The syndicated estafa case against the farmers is just one among the over 50 criminal, administrative, and civil cases filed against their group. These cases include charges of coercion, grave threats, cyberlibel, and unlawful detainer — which are clear acts of harassment aimed at forcing them to abandon their legitimate claims to the land they have long cultivated. The weaponization of the law against the poor, while those in power manipulate the justice system to their advantage, is a glaring example of how the marginalized are criminalized for standing up for their rights.
Despite the small victories in court, the government has failed to act decisively to protect these farmers from systemic abuse. The silence of those in power, coupled with the deliberate targeting of these farmers, is not just negligence—it is complicity. These are farmers, individuals who grow food for the nation, being dragged through years of harassment, fear, and injustice for daring to assert their rights.
The criminalization of the farmers of Brgy. Sumalo is not just their struggle—it is a stain on the justice system and a reflection of a government that has failed its people. They need more than temporary freedom. They need an end to the harassment, a stop to the weaponization of the law, and genuine justice for their years of suffering. Let us stand with them and demand accountability for those who perpetuate this cycle of injustice.
End the criminalization of farmers now!
