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By Jomar Canlas, Reporter
HOUSE Speaker Prospero Nograles on Friday
slammed the Senate for its inaction on Joint Resolution 21 that
maintains the effectivity of the land acquisition and distribution
(LAD) component of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law or Republic
Act 6657.
Nograles said that the House of Representatives
is of the legal opinion that the government, through the Department
of Agrarian Reform, can continue with the agrarian reform program
since its life will end on December 2008, unless the Supreme Court
declares otherwise.
Nograles, a 1972 bar topnotcher, pointed out
that while it would have been ideal had the Senate acted swiftly and
favorably on the joint resolution which he authored and was adopted
by the members of the House before adjourning Wednesday, this does
not diminish their position that Republic Act 6657 has not
completely expired since its LAD component will end on December 31,
2008.
He said that unless the High Court will declare
that the LAD component of the agrarian reform law has been
automatically terminated with its June 10 expiration, the government
has the option to continue land acquisition and distribution for
farmer beneficiaries.
“While our position could have been legally
stronger if the Senate acted favorably on our resolution, this does
not remove the fact that the LAD component of the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program [CARP] has a funding that would only expire
on December 31, 2008, as provided by the General Appropriations Act
of 2008,” Nograles said.
New agrarian law being considered
Under Joint Resolution 21 or “A Joint
Resolution maintaining the effectivity of the land acquisition and
distribution component of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended,
otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1998,
until December 31,2008,” was filed by Nograles upon conferring
with the top legal minds of the House and the proponents who want to
extend CARP for another five years.
He said the House leadership is not abandoning
the fight to extend CARP.
“We also have the option to simply come up
with a new agrarian reform law which we can fast-track during the
2nd regular session,” Nograles said.
The House Speaker said that for the moment, he
created a special committee that would craft and consolidate all
amendments to the agrarian reform law “that shall be truly
beneficial to our farmers.
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