The rural poor, composed mainly of peasants, farm workers and fisherfolks, comprise the majority of the Filipino people. They cultivate the land and produce the majority of the country’s food. However, most do not own the land they till. They suffer the brunt of the violence under the semicolonial and semifeudal system. They face harsh economic repression through predatory land rent demands of landlords, usury and other forms of feudal exploitation. The landlord class dominates all aspects of society in the countryside through reactionary violence.
The song Tano tells the story of one such peasant who was a victim of usury and land grabbing, and who chose to resist and fight for liberation.
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