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By Nora O. Gamolo, Senior Desk Editor
THIRTY-FIVE bishops and members of the House
Committees on Agrarian Reform and Appropriations urged for the
extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to
address “what still remains as one of the most crucial and urgent
issues of justice, peace and development in our country.”
Participants of the Bishops-Legislators Caucus
3, held May 5 to 6 in Quezon City and Manila urged Congress to act
on extending CARP to make “an effective completion of land
acquisition and distribution accompanied by a real start in
delivering adequate and sustained support services to
beneficiaries.”
Over a two-day period, the Caucus brought
together more than 200 participants from civil Church, civil
society, government, development community, and other stakeholders.
The Department of Agrarian Reform was also
present in the Caucus, with Sec. Nasser Pangandaman and
Undersecretary Gerundio Madruneo welcoming the proposal to extend
CARP.
“The House is committed to support CARP by
giving it a minimum allocation of P100 billion for implementation of
not more than five years,” said Rep. Edcel Lagman, chairman of the
House Appropriation Committee.
Lagman and Akbayan Rep. Risa Baraquel said the
House has passed a consolidated substituted bill that integrates
different bills on CARP’s extension. Activist Edicio de la Torre
added that “We want our dear legislators to extend CARP with
significant reforms.”
Atty. Marlon Manuel, coordinator of the
Alternative Law Group (ALG), said CARP needs “a new lease on
life” through a bigger budget and farmers’ greater access to
credit.
Among the reforms that the advocates proposed to
be integrated in the substituted bill are gender-sensitive features;
exclusive DAR jurisdiction over agrarian reform cases; strengthening
of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council; creation of the
oversight committee; and sanctions against violators of agrarian
reform.
The House version has three counterparts in the
Senate, each filed by Senators Gregorio Honasan, Miriam Defensor
Santiago and Juan Ponce Enrile.
Honasan, chairman of the Senate Committee on
Agrarian Reform, said the upper house is inclined to approve
CARP’s extension but wants to strengthen the giving of support
services to farmers.
“It is not enough that we re-distribute the
land in the true spirit of agrarian reform but redistribute also the
means of production and support services like irrigation,” he
said, as he decried that CARP’s implementation is not very
encouraging as it lacks support services, although gains have been
made.
“If we are lucky, we might have a CARP
extension by December,” said Gerardo Bulatao, civil society
stalwart and former DAR undersecretary. Advocates, however, remain
optimistic that it is still possible to have a CARP extension before
the program ends its 20 years on June 10.
Eighteen Church prelates were present in the
Caucus, including Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, Bishop Nereo Odchimar,
chair and vice-chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines; and Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, chairman of the Central
Committee of the Second Rural Congress.
The House contingent was represented by Lagman;
Rep. Risa Baraquel Hontiveros, chair of the House Agrarian Reform
Committee; and Rep. Abraham Mitra. Earlier, Senate President Manuel
Villar and House Speaker Prospero Nograles joined the advocates.
Civil society groups also present in this
gathering included the Partnership for Agrarian Reform and Rural
Development Services, Inc., Federation of Free Farmers, Consortium
for the Advancement of People’s Participation through Sustainable
Area Development, Inc., Education for Life, Urban Poor Associates
and ALG.
- With Efren L. Danao
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