After 2 hours of intense debate before a jam-packed crowd of farmer leaders, agrarian reform advocates, religious groups and Catholic Bishops, House Committee on Agrarian Reform in a vote of 16-3-1 approved substitute bill that will give the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program another five years extension for Land Acquisition and Distribution and at least 100 Billion pesos in funding.
The bill also includes four (4) reform provisions from HB 1257 filed by Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and supported by The Reform CARP Movement (RCM). The reform provisions are 1) the indefeasibility of Titles awarded under the program (EP/CLOAs), 2) reinforcement on the recognition of the right of the rural women to own and control land and a gender responsive support services, 3) the exclusive jurisdiction of DAR on agrarian related cases, and 4) recognition of the legal standing and interest of ARBs or identified beneficiaries or their association to file a case or cases before judicial courts concerning their individual or collective rights under CARP and the creation of a joint Congressional Oversight Committee.
Before the public hearing, farmers from Reform CARP Movement and Rural Poor Solidarity held a rally outside the House of Representatives. Farmer leaders from different organizations together with Archbishops Tony Ledesma, Diosdado Talamayan and Bishops Deogracias Iniguez and Pablo David met with House Speaker Prospero Nograles to ask for the support of House leadership in fast-tracking the passage of a law for CARP extension with reforms. This was followed by an interfaith prayer offering.
"This is an incomplete victory for us; we want more reforms to be included in the substitute bill. There are important provisions that should be included like the prohibition on conversion of irrigated and irrigable lands, removal of non-redistributive schemes like leaseback and stock distribution option(SDO), rationalization of DAR, progressive land taxation among others. We will not stop until Congress realizes the importance of including those reforms to avoid more reversals and conversion, " Ka Uper Aleroza of PKSK said.
Reform CARP Movement with Congress allies will also lobby and campaign for the removal of the farmland as collateral provision in the bill because it will only reverse whatever CARP gains and will lead to massive foreclosure and land reconsolidation.
"Now is the time for government to show that it is truly serious in protecting the rights and upholding social justice for the landless farmers and farm workers. Enact CARP extension with significant reforms and peace, food security and economic growth will follow," Aleroza stated.
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