PNoy, land reform advocates develop CARPER action plan

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing that  President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday met with farmers, Catholic bishops, and other land reform advocates and together they developed a plan of action that will result in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms, or CARPER, by 2014 amid an assessment by Aquino himself that Congress will not extend CARPER and complaints from land reform advocates that only 54.6 percent of the national government’s 2011 land acquisition and distribution, or LAD, target was accomplished.

 

One of the ways by which CARPER implementation will be hastened is with a multi-stakeholders mechanism, the establishment of which Aquino immediately granted during the meeting, to be convened by him and composed of representatives from the Department of Agrarian Reform and other CARP implementing agencies of the government, Church officials, non-governmental organizations, peoples organizations, and other farmers’ groups and federations.

 

The multi-stakeholders mechanism will be tasked to monitor the implementation of the CARP, specifically focusing on:

 

- coverage and distribution of agricultural lands;

- movement and performance of Department of Agrarian Reform personnel;

- delivery of support services to the beneficiaries; and

- budget allocation and utilization.

 

Lacierda said other details will be further discussed by the members of the stakeholders’ mechanism.

 

Other agreements

 

Between June 2012 and June 2014, all agricultural lands shall be covered and distributed to qualified beneficiaries. Priority shall be given to landholdings 25 hectares and above. Notice of Coverage will be issued on or before December 2012. This will include peaceful and orderly installation of farmer-beneficiaries in all lands distributed under the program. The Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Department of the Interior and Local Government shall be mobilized for this purpose.

 

Also, all landholdings will be placed under the program, Notices of Coverage (NOCs) of lands 10 hectares and above shall be issued on or before December 2012. For landholdings under 10 hectares, NOCs shall be issued not later than July 2013.

 

Money matters

 

Republic Act 9700, the CARPER law, has allocated at least P150 billion for the program which will be utilized to successfully complete the implementation of agrarian reform.

 

As mandated by Section 37 of R.A. 9700 on support services, the provision on initial capitalization for new agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and socialized credit for existing ARBs shall be implemented.

 

To this end, the Department of Budget and Management has committed the immediate release of P1 billion to be allocated for support services.

 

Likewise, the government-owned Land Bank of the Philippines shall review its policies, rules and regulations on providing credit to farmers to make it more accessible to ARBs and do away with its stringent requirements.

 

In addition, the DAR and Department of Agriculture, with assistance from the DBM, will develop a socialized credit program solely for ARBs that is mutually acceptable to both parties. The socialized credit program shall enable the farmers to maximize the productivity of their land and utilize the resources available to them. 

 

Enforcement issues 

 

Lacierda said that Aquino and the land reform advocates adopted the commitment made by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo during a meeting with the farmers last June 12, 2012. 

 

Robredo committed the government to: - work on a list of areas where there are CARPER enforcement issues,

- review the PNP’s tasking and refer to the DOJ the proposed changes in 2009 guidelines,   as it applies to DAR orders,

- establish PNP outpost in critical areas where installed farmers are being harassed, and

- establish a direct line of communication with the DILG. 

 

Furthermore, Lacierda said that Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes is currently investigating some Provincial Agrarian Reform Officers and Municipal Agrarian Reform Officers who refused to implement CARPER.

 

Red tape gets the chop

 

Lacierda said the President committed to cut the bureaucratic red tape to further expedite the land distribution.

  

“Our commitment is to put all the agricultural lands under notices of coverage that will ensure the implementation of the CARPER beyond 2014,” he added.

 

While admitting that there could be some problems with privately-owned lands, Lacierda said they are taking a multi-disciplinary approach involving government agencies to speed up the process.

 

“There will be judicial adjudication (on privately-owned lands). That is beyond our sphere of influence. But, insofar as the executive branch is concerned, we are committed to putting all agricultural lands based on the timeline that we’ve provided with a notice of coverage,” he said.

 

He said another problem the CARPER implementation faced in the past was the issuance of land titles, as in the case with Negros Occidental where titles were generated manually.

 

“The titles in Negros Occidental are now in the process of being computerized completely within two weeks. So wala na tayong problema and the titles will be more easily issued,” said Lacierda.

 

Asked if Hacienda Luisita is among the lands to be distributied, Lacierda said, “It’s already being distributed. Primarily, the Task Force Mapalad, ang pinakamasalimuot na area is really Negros Occidental.”

 

High hopes

 

Former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., one of those who attended the meeting with Aquino, said in a text message to GMA News Online, “The farmers are hopeful that before CARPER expires, notices of coverage will have been issues over CARPable lands whatever their size”

 

Apart from Pimentel, the other agrarian reform advocates present during the meeting were Atty. Christian Monsod, Task Force Mapalad President Alberto Jaime, TFM National Coordinator Atty. Armando Jarilla, and TFM Spokesperson Edna Sobrecaray.

 

Aside from the President, the government was represented by Lacierda, Delos Reyes, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, and Presidential Management Staff head Julia Abad

 

Bishop Antonio Ledesma, Bishop Bernardino Cortes, Fr. Marlon Lacal, and Fr. Anton Pascual of Caritas Manila also attended the meeting. — RSJ/DVM, GMA News