Palace chided for approving land conversion in Batangas despite moratorium

MANILA, Philippines - A group of farmers on Monday chided Malacañang for approving the conversion of a 124-hectare agricultural land in Batangas province into an eco-tourism site despite a prevailing moratorium on land conversion. According to the Laiya-Ibabao Samahang Magsasaka (Lisamag), the May 20 order of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita allowing Hennessy Development Corp. to convert the said property showed government hypocrisy and lack of seriousness about the land conversion moratorium. “To call for moratorium while approving land conversion is patently hypocritical,” said Lisamag president Vicente Ayap. He noted that even Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman has identified the property, located at San Juan town, as agricultural land. Lisamag members had been holding camp since late April in front of the DAR in Quezon City to demand that the Hennessy property be placed under coverage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). On May 12, DAR's provincial agrarian reform officer (PARO) in Batangas, Cynthia Lapid, issued the notice of coverage (NOC) for the property after DAR legal officials decided that there is no more legal impediment to placing the property under the government's land reform scheme. Ermita’s conversion order, the farmers said, effectively nullified the NOC. Ayap also disclosed that the registration of Henessy has been revoked by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). - GMANews.TV