By Alfonso T. Ruda
DAPITAN CITY —“The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with Extension and Reform (CARPER) may be extended for another two years.”
This was disclosed by Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Anthony N. Paruñgao of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in a press conference held during the culmination of the Program Beneficiary Development (PBD) lawyering seminar at the Alexandra by the Sea this city.
Paruñgao said President Benigno S. Aquino III categorically mentioned in his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 28 that he is pushing for the extension of the CARPER Law for another two years.
Under Republic Act 9700, popularly known as the “CARPER Law,” the DAR was given five years to complete the land acquisition and distribution component of the agrarian reform program. Section 30 of the same law also provides for the continuation of the process for those landholdings issued with Notice of Coverage on or before June 30 - the end of CARPER Law - despite pending cases or proceedings until finally completed and implemented.
He pointed out that the only thing that bars the office from issuing Notice of Coverage is that the said landholdings are not yet covered by the program.
With the President mentioning the extension of CARPER as among the 20 bills he considered urgent, Paruñgao vowed to reciprocate this by performing the mandated tasks.
Under the Constitution, DAR is mandated to place every single agricultural landholding in the country under land reform program.
Paruñgao said that from January to June this year DAR had distributed 27,700 landholdings covering 227,000 hectares with a balance of 35,021 hectares covering the remaining 3, 898 landholdings as of June 30 this year. “The issuance of Notice of Coverage is the first step in a nine-month-long process consisting of more than 20 steps before the land can be distributed to beneficiaries,” he said.
Originally, all private agricultural landholdings with an aggregate area of 60,000 landholdings were placed under land reform.