MisOr town farmers slam South Korean TV for abuse claim

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY–Farmers from the Misamis Oriental town of Claveria protested took to the streets here Wednesday to denounce what they said was the biased reporting of a South Korean television network.

Genevieve Cababarros, secretary of Doalnara Restoration Society Philippines, said the Seoul-based JTBC Broadcasting aired a news segment in its August 25 and 26 broadcasts that put their organization in a bad light.

Cababarros said the South Korean broadcaster’s reports had alleged the management of Doalnara Philippines were physically abusing the farmers and seizing their passports, among others.

“We can’t go to Korea so this why we are protesting here to send them our message and air our side,” Cababarros said in the dialect.

Waving placards bearing a mixture of Korean and English invectives, the farmers gathered at the Kiosko Kagawasan in Divisoria, Cagayan de Oro City’s main business center.

Doalnara Restoration Society Philippines has a 1,500-hectare farm in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, consisting mainly of yacon crops for export to South Korea. The group is part of the larger South Korean-based Doalnara Restoration Society that maintains organic farms in eight countries worldwide and export agricultural products back to South Korea.

Here in the Philippines, Cababarros said the organic farm in Claveria was established as early as 24 years ago, and that within this period, Philippine authorities have never encountered any complaint against the group.

“JTBC is unfair. Nobody contacted us to air our side,” she said. “In fact, we invited our farmers here in the rally to show nga la g’yuy nagreklamo (no one ever complained of abuses).”

Cababarros hopes thar their protest will reach the management of the television network. (Ercel Maandig/PNA)