What’s in a name? From DAR to DLR and DAR again

Out with the new and back to the old.

After President Arroyo changed the name of the Department of Land Reform (DLR) to its former name, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), last month, the agency’s officer-in-charge Nasser Pangandaman now has ordered the use of the agency’s old name and logo in all transactions beginning yesterday.

During yesterday’s flag-raising ceremony, Pangandaman informed all officials and employees of the agency about Executive Order 456, which the President issued on Aug. 23. The EO voided the DAR’s previous change of nomenclature to DLR.

"I only received the copy of the EO last week," Pangandaman said.

In the order, Mrs. Arroyo said that agrarian reform goes beyond mere land distribution and includes the totality of all factors and support services designed to improve the lives or economic status of farmers.

The President changed the name of DAR to DLR via Executive Order 364 on Sept. 27, 2004.

As this developed, Pangandaman said the department would no longer spend additional funds to adhere to the President’s latest order.

Rather, office supplies and equipment bearing the old logo of the department, such as templates for the office letterhead and the letters and logo for the agency’s marker, were kept intact and can be reused, he said.

He said the marker and logo at the central office will revert to "Department of Agrarian Reform" by next week.