In Tboli town, South Cotabato, disgruntled landowners who had leased their lands to the fruit-exporting company Sumifru Philippines Corporation cut down thousands of banana plants on Saturday, March 16. This incident, which affected 10 hectares of plantation, was the latest in a series of confrontations between Sumifru and the landowners.

The landowners retaliated after Sumifru guards dismantled barricades set up to demand that the company fulfil its promise to pay the taxes for the leased properties. Sumifru, which operates a 14,000-hectare banana plantation in Mindanao, rents around 80% of its plantation from Tboli landowners. Landowner Gelina Dulan stated that cutting banana plants would only cease if the company halted its operations and engaged in discussions with them. She revealed that a meeting with the company's executives, scheduled for February 16, did not occur due to confusion she attributed to Sumifru officials. This led the organized landowners to set up barricades around the rented portions of the banana plantation, a tactic they have employed several times. Dulan accused Sumifru of failing to pay the real property taxes for the leased lands, risking these properties being seized and auctioned off by the provincial government.

The landowners sought the intervention of South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., who warned that the provincial government would ban Sumifru from doing business in South Cotabato due to its failure to pay overdue taxes. As of November 2023, Sumifru had a tax delinquency of about P2.7 million for its properties, while the landowners owed the provincial government around P27 million. Another landowner, Ben Diyan, claimed that tax non-payment had plagued them for years. He stated that Sumifru's rent payments were meagre and insufficient to compensate them for their difficulties. He also expressed concerns about the toxic aerial spraying in the banana plantation, which prevented them from planting vegetables or raising animals.

Diyan added that their contract with Sumifru included landowner health services, but this provision must be fulfilled. Despite their repeated pleas for the company to abide by their agreement and comply with tax requirements, their appeals were ignored.

Provincial Treasury Officer Alvim Batol announced that properties with long overdue taxes were set for auction. However, Sumifru lodged a petition for a temporary restraining order (TRO) in the courts. Sumifru has yet to respond to the allegations.