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Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill ipinapa-’certify as urgent’ kay Marcos Jr.

Philstar.com
Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill ipinapa-’certify as urgent’ kay Marcos Jr.
Farmers, fisherfolks, and peasant advocates joined progressive lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc in filing the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill at the 19th Congress today, July 5.
Released/National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates-Youth (NNARA-Youth)

MANILA, Philippines — Hinamon ng youth peasant advocacy group na National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates (NNARA) si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na gamitin ang kanyang kapangyarihan bilang presidente na pakiusapan ang Konggresong madalain ang pagpasa ng Genuine Agrarian Reform bill (GARB).

Ngayong Martes kasi nang i-refile ng progresibong Makabayan bloc ang GARB sa pamamagitan House Bill 1161 — bagay na magtitiyak ng "libreng pamimigay" ng lupa sa mga magsasakang benepisyaryo at magtatakda ng land reform zones para tiyakin ang food security at sovereignty.

“If Bongbong Marcos is really concerned about our farmers, he should see to it that the GARB will be enacted into law," ani Zoe Caballero, pambansang tagapangulo ng NNARA-Youth, sa isang pahayag kanina.

"Otherwise, that only proves our fear that he is but a shadow of his predecessors — much like his father, who enacted the sham land reform program PD 27 — that represents the interests of the landed ruling elites."

Si Marcos Jr. ay hindi lang pangulo ngunit kasalukuyang kalihim din ng Department of Agriculture "sa ngayon" sa gitna ng krisis sa pagkain, ito habang ipinapangako ang P20/kilong bigas.

Ayon pa kina Caballero, mayorya ng mga magsasaka ang nananatiling walang sariling lupa hanggang ngayon, dahilan para matali raw sila sa pagbabayad ng mga "exhorbitant" na mga renta sa gitna ng nagtataasang presyo ng farm inputs gaya ng fuel at fertilizer.

Dagdag pa rito, karamihan din daw sa mga beneficiaries ng kasalukuyang Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) ay hirap na hirap pa ring maghulog para sa kanilang mga lupa. Marami pa nga raw sa kanila, hindi na makapagbayad ng amortization.

Nauuwi na lang daw tuloy sa pagbebenta ng kanilang lupain ang mga magsasaka dahil sa "hindi epektibong" reporma sa lupa at kawalan ng suporta.

"For the past 15 years and several Congresses, we have been filing and lobbying for GARB as landmark legislation that seeks to address the root causes of the social strife arising from landlessness and rural poverty," wika naman ng peasant leader at dating agrarian reform secretary na si Rafael Mariano.

"This bill answers the demand of Filipino farmers for free land distribution and social justice. GARB, in essence, corrects the historical defects of Presidential Decree No. 27 enacted by the regime of Marcos Sr. in 1972 and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and its successor CARPER."

Ayon sa Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), ine-exempt ng CARP sa distribution ng agricultural lands ng mga educational institutionals pati na ang military reservations gaya na lang ng 3,800-ektaryang Central Mindanao University (CMU), mahigit 70,000-ektaryang Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation sa Nueva Ecija at 33,000-ektaryang Tumanduk Military Reservation sa Panay.

Dagdag pa ng KMP, nakuha at sinaklaw lang ng Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) ang nasa 4.84 milyong ektarya ng agricultural land mula 1972 hanggang Hunyo 2021, na siyang "nagpalusot" daw sa malalaking panginoong maylupa at foreign plantations. — Philstar.com intern Jomarc Corpuz

AGRARIAN REFORM

BONGBONG MARCOS

DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARMERS

GENUINE AGRARIAN REFORM

KILUSANG MAGBUBUKID NG PILIPINAS

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