'DAR, not DA, should identify FMR beneficiaries'

MANILA, Philippines - More than half of the members of the House of Representatives protested the plan of Malacañang to cancel the authority of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to identify beneficiary-communities of farm-to-market roads (FMRs).

The lawmakers were objecting to Special Provision 5 of the proposed P2-trillion 2013 national budget transferring the identification of FMR beneficiaries from DAR to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The same provision also mandates that some 3,000 personnel of the DAR as well as its appropriations and support services will be transferred to the DA in 2013.

Negros Oriental Rep. Pryde Henry Teves, chairman of the House committee on agrarian reform, spearheaded the signing of the manifesto opposing the plan that was forwarded to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

“This is alarming because there is no more priority to agrarian reform communities mentioned in the 2013 budget,” Pampanga Rep. Anna York Bondoc, vice chairman of the appropriations committee in charge of the DAR budget, said.

Rep. Nasser Pangandaman of the AA Kasosyo party-list and former agrarian reform secretary said transferring the support services to the agrarian reform beneficiaries to another department violates Republic Act 9700 or the Carper Law.

“DAR employees will be demoralized if they are suddenly transferred to another department and will cause the DAR not to fulfill its mandate of finishing land acquisition and distribution by 2014,” the DAR Employees Association said in a statement.

During the budget hearings, DAR Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes admitted that 10,000 employees will be affected by the special provision.

During the plenary hearings and under intense questioning by Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla, de los Reyes admitted the “transition plan of special provision #5” was formulated by the DBM without consultation with the DAR employees.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said he would push for the deletion of the special provision.