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By Ma.Ester L. Espina, Correspondent
BACOLOD CITY: Lashing back at the recent call of
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urging
the Department of Land Reform to subject the First Family’s
landholdings to land reform, Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo
(5th district) reacted and dared the bishops to distribute
landholdings owned by the Church, too.
Iggy, the younger brother of First Gentleman
Mike Arroyo, clarified that their family has never been against the
implementation of land reform or the inclusion of their landholdings
in Negros.
“Our only demand is for DAR to identify the
real beneficiaries in our haciendas and give them priority. It’s
not proper for DAR to install “alien” farmers that will displace
our own workers who have tilled the land with us for years now,”
Iggy said.
Arroyo has been very vocal about his objection
against how DAR has implemented land reform in Negros Occidental and
stated strongly that while he is not against land reform, he is
pushing for a review of the program and accounting of all funds
before any extension of CARP takes place.
In an interview with local media, Iggy said the
bishops should set an example and give up their landholdings for
distribution. “It could not be denied that most of our Catholic
bishops have huge landholdings in the country. If they are really
sincere about CARP, they should set themselves as examples and allow
their land to be covered by the Voluntarily Offer to Sale scheme,”
he said.
“In doing so, people would believe the bishops
that they truly are for the poor and the landless,” Iggy added.
The CBCP, through its President, Jaro Archbishop
Angel Lagdameo urged DAR to hasten the distribution of the three
remaining haciendas owned by the Arroyo family namely, Hacienda
Bacay (157 hectares), Hacienda Grande (196 hectares), and Hacienda
Paraiso (16 hectares), all in southern Negros Occidental.
Lagdameo issued the statement post the 2-day
Bishop-Legislators Caucus III-Agrarian Reform Summit of Stakeholders
saying DAR should ensure that the property of the Arroyos would be
included in the land acquisition and distribution program. The
bishop said there are still about two million hectares of land owned
both by private landowners and the government that have yet to be
distributed.
DAR has failed to finish the program in the past
20 years as they have been beset by various problems and have called
for another extension of the program which is now pending again
before Congress.
DAR has identified Negros Occidental as one of
the most problematic areas in the country with regards to CARP
implementation. Lawsuits have been filed left and right by both
government agencies and landowners and lives lost through the years.
Last year, DAR Sec. Nasser Pangandaman was branded “persona non
grata” by local government officials after he failed to coordinate
with them.
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