Sa Senado dapat mag-vigil ang mga magsasaka - Nograles

MANILA – Tinawag ni Speaker Prospero Nograles na “overacting" ang ginawang pagsugod ng may 140 magsasaka sa kanyang opisina nitong Miyerkules ng gabi nang mabigo ang mga kongresista na aprubahan ang panukalang batas na magpapalawig sa bisa ng Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). "That's too OA (overacting) as far as I am concerned. Whoever instigated this action should realize that the House has been very judicious in ensuring its approval," pahayag ni Nograles. “The Senate on the other hand, has a long way to go before they can debate on the CARP extension while the House is in its final stage of approval. They should lobby in the Senate." Hindi pa naaprubahan ng Senate committee on agriculture ang sarili nitong bersyon ng CARP extension bill. Ayon kay Nograles, lalong makasasama kung isasalang sa botohan sa Kamara de Representantes ang panukala ngunit kulang naman sa suporta ng mga kongresista. Ipinaliwanag ng lider na sinisikap nilang ayusin ang mga “butas" sa panukala upang hindi masayang ang kanilang panahon. "There are more than 200 congressmen who may have different views. If we force a vote without the necessary numbers, all the hard work exerted on this bill will just go to waste. We will be back to zero," paglilinaw ni Nograles. Tiniyak niya na suportado ng kanyang liderato ang panukala at ipapasa nila ito bago magbakasyon ang Kongreso sine die sa Hunyo 13. Ngunit nakatakdang matapos ang bisa ng CARP sa Hunyo 10. "We are rushing the approval of the CARP extension but we also don't want to compromise the quality of the measure that will emanate from the House. We want to cure the defects of the previous CARP Law," ayon kay Nograles. Inirekomenda ni Nograles na magpatawag ang Malacanang ng special session upang magkaroon ng sapat na panahon ang Senado at Kamara na maaprubahan ang panukala at matalakay ito sa bicameral conference committee. Samantala, sinabi ni Nograles na kabilang sa mga rekomendasyon ng Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM) na pinamumunuan nina Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra at Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara na aamyendahan sa orihinal CARP law ang mga sumusunod: * Repeal the stock distribution option (SDO) that favors big farmlands; * Prioritize the granting of individual land titles to all beneficiaries; * The Department of Agrarian Reform must concentrate on and accelerate the compulsory acquisition of land rather than the voluntary offer to sell and voluntary land transfer; * Increase budgetary allocation for support services; * Increase budgetary allocation for development of human capital (extension services); * Revitalize the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC), by appointing a specific undersecretary for PARC to handle CARP; * Streamline the DAR bureaucracy so that it is not top-heavy; * Coordinate and harmonize the implementation strategies or activities in agrarian reform communities with those of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local government units and the private sector; * Make credit available and accessible to CARP beneficiaries; and * Explore other options or programs for land reform in sugar and coconut lands as these lands require a different set of technology and market inputs. - Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV