DAR performs well amid COVID-19 pandemic

Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary John R. Castriciones said the DAR has performed well despite the nationwide fear on the contagious Novel Coronavirus 19.

“The DAR implementation of a swift and efficient agrarian justice delivery program is on the right track with the help of the department’s zero-backlog campaign”, Castriciones said.

Earlier, legal affairs office Undersecretary Luis Meinrado Pañgulayan has reported the good news in favor of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), with the signing by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte of Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Law which condones the interest payment and restructures the principal obligation of ARBs.

Undersecretary for Support Services Office Atty. Emily O. Padilla, said the DAR-SSO has started the Project RRR (Rescue food, Redistribute it to the poor and Reduce Hunger) where the agency partners with Caritas Manila to implement a pro-poor program to mitigate hunger to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DAR, through the Foreign Assisted and Special Projects Office (FASPO) led by Undersecretary Bernie F. Cruz has jumpstarted the implementation activities for the Support for Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project by creating project management offices (PMOs) nationwide to facilitate the splitting of collective certificates of landownership award (CCLOA) into individual land titles.

Cruz also cited the directives of the Secretary to ensure compliance on the conditions of the loan agreement for SPLIT Project for loan effectivity and immediate hiring of personnel, and to fast track the processing of the mega-farms project proposal.

Field Operations Office (FOO) Undersecretary David D. Erro disclosed that the “mega farms” proposal is a concept where around 50 hectares of contiguous land will be developed and provided with support services from farm machinery to seeds and fertilizers to attain food sufficiency and security for the country and increase the income of the farmers.

“As of January 1, 2020, the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) balance for the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform (CARP) coverage is 63,816 landholdings with an aggregate area of 523,092 hectares. Western Visayas Region (Negros and Panay Islands) has the highest number of balance followed by BARMM, Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas,” Erro said.

Erro said that to date, out of 217,120.98 hectares government-owned land (GOL) identified for coverage and eventual distribution, only Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) had executed a Deed of Transfer(DOT) over 289 hectares in Davao de Oro in favor of the Department.

Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research Office (PPRO) Virginia N. Orogo reported the inception of the DAR Database System (DDS) to the proposed Kumustasaka Project which has updated the individual profiles of 2,887,914 ARBs as of December 2019.

“With a real-time and updated data on ARBs, the agency can now effectively spearhead the planning for sustainable rural development,” Orogo said.

Undersecretary for Special Concerns Office Atty. Carim L. Panumpang said to assess the status of the ARBs based on the land distribution program, as provided through the distribution of Emancipation Patents (EPs)/Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs), and to determine the necessary interventions and support services that may be provided to ARBs, a CLOA validation activity is expected to be implemented nationwide.

Undersecretary for Finance, Management and Administration Office Atty. Lucius Jun Jun G. Malsi reported that the Committee on Appropriations has already adopted the PHP 8.851 billion proposed FY2021 DAR budget during the 7 September 2020 deliberation. However, several Congressmen have raised concern over the minimal budget level given to the DAR, which have prompted them to support the possible provision of addition budget allocation for DAR for FY 2021.