DAR-Cebu fears of CARP's end

CEBU - The Cebu Provincial Department of Agrarian Reform expressed fears that the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, once ended, will no longer be honored, leading to the undoing of all its efforts done for the past years.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer II Stephen Leonidas said if the program shall end, the benefits other than the legalization of the land’s security of tenure for the farmer beneficiaries shall also end.

Leonidas said another implication of the non-extension of the CARP might also be a flaw in DAR’s credibility to its foreign supporters.

If the program turns out to be a failure, DAR’s credibility will be at risk which might discourage supporters of the program.

He said DAR, as of now, is the biggest foreign-funded government department.

Leonidas said those who want to avail themselves of the program are no longer granted which, he said, is unfair.

He said that they can still implement CARP even beyond December 2008.Given that the expiration of CARP pertains to its budget allocation’s cut, their office can still implement CARP using regular funds from the office.

The cut in the budget intended for CARP shall not hinder them from giving assistance to poor farmers who need land for their own cultivation.

But Leonidas said they are confident that CARP will be extended, two bills from the Senate and the House of Congress aiming for the extension of CARP are being deliberated.

The two bills amend the previous provisions of the existing bill for the CARP, both stressed for gender-sensitive provisions of the new proposed CARP.

In the bill passed in the Senate, Leonidas said so many substantial amendments were proposed.

The Senate bill proposed P130-billion budget allocation for CARP for five years while the House bill proposed a P100-billion budget for the same period.

CARP redistributes land to farmers and regular farm workers who are landless, irrespective of tenurial arrangement.

Right now, DAR Cebu has already distributed 1,200 hectares of private agricultural land out of the target 3,000 hectares. - Jessica Ann Pareja/BRP (THE FREEMAN)