Land distribution program needs reforms, gov't support
Alba
ROXAS CITY -- From a minimum of three years to a maximum of ten, farmer-groups, experts and advocates had a similar call on the proposed extension of the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Gathered Friday for the Panay-Island Senate consultation, farmer beneficiaries, landowners, lawyers, government officials and other stakeholders had a relatively common stand – extend CARP but extend with much-needed reforms and a more responsive government support system.
The consultation was led by Senator Gringo Honasan, chair of the Senate Committee on Agrarian Reform. Host local government unit (LGU) was Roxas City with government officials from various Western Visayas provinces present.
Over-all mood was "yes to CARP" extension yet in corresponding presentations of position came the apparent underlying message – CARP if allowed to continue must face a major government make-over.
Pro-CARP streamers were displayed all over the consultative meeting site as proponents primarily from employees of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) wore pro-CARP shirts.
Capiz Governor Victor Tanco in his message hailed CARP saying the program was not a failure yet lamented how in his rounds common scenario was that original beneficiaries no longer till the lands.
"I would like to see landless farmers have the land… it is one way of leveling the playing field… but we need to improve the program and make it more beneficial… you see the lands now under CARP became less productive," Governor Tanco said.
Similar sentiments from Iloilo Fifth District Board Member Jett Rojas who stressed full support for CARP extension "but with reforms."
And same message too from Assistant Secretary Raul Banias, Presidential Assistant for Panay and Guimaras.
Banias for his part acknowledged how CARP "may have its flaws and defects," yet the program must be extended "with meaningful developmental reforms."
Aklan Congressman Joeben Miraflores and Governor Carlito Marquez while not present had its position cleared in a massive streamer placed inside the venue. Both with "the people of Aklan" expressed support for the CARP extension beyond 2008.
Meantime, a more elaborate stance from lawyer Gil Alba, representative of the country's over 20,000 farmer-members of the Confederation of Sugar Producers in the Philippines and the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers.
Alba told reporters present how immediate government reforms such as immediate stop of land re-distribution must be made.
"We have to tell the people and the nation… land conversion does not hold water... we focused so much on land distribution when the safety nets were not there and there was clear need for adequate support services," Alba said.
Fact is, he continued, farmer-beneficiaries no longer have the security of tenure in the present CARP scenario while decrying the lack of management skill thereat.
"Kung malunod ang Pilipinas, lunod kita tanan (If the country drowns, we are all going down)," he stressed.
Alba's presentation generated the loudest in audience applause following his 3-minute opportunity as resource speaker.
Incidentally, a report was submitted to the Committee that laid down recommendations from key members of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC).
Target of the PARC members in said position paper is to make the four million farmer-beneficiaries "successful in the business of farming 6.5 million hectares."
This year's expiration of CARP law, the group said, "gives Congress and the DAR a great opportunity to study the strength and weaknesses of the law and review successes or failures of DAR which implemented the law."
With P120 billion thus far spent, has it really increased productivity, reduced poverty and encouraged landowners to invest in industries in the rural areas? The PARC representatives posed said query.
The group then went ahead to disclose "bare facts" starting off with the recognition as to how the country's agriculture "is now in a state of distress."
"At the macro level, the social and economic conditions in the rural communities are not any better than 10 years ago… globalization has had a negative effect on agriculture. Worldwide economic trends like trade liberalization, increasing prices of fertilizers and crude oil have seriously hurt Philippine Agriculture. And despite of a total of 34 years of agrarian reform, it has failed to significantly reduce rural poverty levels," the recommendation cum report as obtained by The News Today (TNT) went.
Signatories of said recommendation were lawyer Eduardo Hernandez and Marita Alejandro, PARC landowers' representatives and farmer-beneficiaries Basilio Propongo, Jaime Tadeo and Romulo Tapayan.
"Many have a simplistic way of looking at agriculture. Any person who is given land is presumed to know how to farm it or can be easily trained to do so. Yet agriculture is now a knowledge – intensive enterprise needing managerial/entrepreneurial expertise and technology especially now that we need to compete with the world," the group ended. "We therefore need to face the facts. The world has changed and we must change. We need to be efficient and competitive, otherwise Agriculture production will continue to dwindle and our people will continue to starve. We therefore must change our strategies."