House, Senate leaders agree to pass CARP extension bill by June

Leaders of both houses of Congress have agreed to pass the proposed law extending the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) before the 16th Congress’ second regular session adjourns sine die on June 11.

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II on Thursday said they have committed to the passage of the CARP Extension with Reforms (CARPER) bill by June during a meeting with President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañang earlier in the day.

Gonzales said the House will wait for the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to submit important documents before resuming deliberations on the bill.

“There are some documents that need to be submitted by DAR for us to finalize the version of CARP. But definitely we will approve [the bill],” he said.

Among the lawmakers who were present at the meeting in Malacañang were House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Senate President Franklin Drilon and Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, a leader of the Visayan bloc in the House.

CBCP letter

Wealthy and landed lawmakers from the Visayas are known to be opposed to the extension of CARP.

Asked what the President’s marching orders were during the meeting, Benitez said: “Complete the program.”

Catholic bishops, including Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, had written to the President and Congress urging them to fast-track the passage of House Bills 4296 and 4375 to help more than 1 million farmers rise from poverty.

HB 4296 seeks to renew DAR's authority to issue notices of coverage and provide funding for support services to agricultural landholdings not yet been placed under CARP, while HB 4375 seeks to create an independent Agrarian Reform Commission to review the accomplishment of CARP and investigate circumventions and violations of the CARP Law.

The House has yet to pass either of the two measures despite being certified urgent by Aquino in June 2014.

The Senate, on the other hand, has passed its version of HB 4296 while HB 4375 is pending at the committee level.

Political will

The CARP, enacted in 1988, was touted as the "centerpiece program" of Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino. Its implementation was extended in 2009 for another five years under Republic Act No. 9700 or CARPER.

Sought for comment, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, who chairs the House committee on agrarian reform, lauded Gonzales’ commitment to pass the pending bill on CARPER and credited Aquino for his intervention.

“I see the President’s hand in that pronouncement [of Gonzales] and I thank PNoy for the political will in explaining the importance of CARP’s completion to the House leadership and members of the Visayan bloc,” he said.

“Now it’s our turn as authors and advocates to deliver and help the Majority Floor Leader keep his pledge,” Baguilat added.

The Ifugao lawmaker earlier said there are ongoing back-channel talks aimed at convincing anti-CARP lawmakers to change their stand on the measure. —KBK, GMA News