SAN JUAN, La Union--Department Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Brother John Castriciones has urged the chairpersons of the Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committees (PARCCOM) to push for a stronger implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) nationwide.

The DAR is currently holding a national conference for the PARCCOM to orient them on the latest and revised DAR guidelines, as well as apprise them on the status of the agrarian reform program implementation, to underscore the challenges hounding the implementation of the program.

Castriciones, who is the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) Vice-Chairman said the activity plays a significant role in accomplishing President Rodrigo Duterte’s marching orders for the DAR.

“The President has ordered us to finish the DAR’s land acquisition and distribution balance as soon as possible, distribute all government-owned lands and parcel the collective certificates of land ownership award to our farmer-beneficiaries. We need your commitment to help us accomplish this,” Castriciones said.

Castriciones stated that since the implementation of CARP in 1988, the government has 548,564 hectares remaining of lands to be distributed to the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), which are mostly categorized as problematic landholdings.

Through Executive Order No. 75, signed by President Duterte in 2019, the department is mandated to distribute GOLs all over the country.

The Secretary also said that the department will be subdividing 1.3-million hectares of collective CLOAs through the implementation of Project SPLIT or Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling.

“Around 1.1-million farmers would benefit from SPLIT,” Castriciones said.

Project SPLIT is the enhancement of the regulatory framework for the parcelization and titling of collective CLOAs.

“If we will work hand-in-hand, we can do this,” Castriciones told the PARCCOM chairpersons.

The PARC is the highest policy-making body for agrarian reform in the country while the PARCCOM members are composed of representatives from various sectors such as landowners, farmer-beneficiaries, farmers’ organizations, cooperatives, indigenous peoples, and non-governmental organizations.

Participating in the conference are PARCCOM chairpersons, PARCCOM head secretariats, DAR officials, and representatives from CARP-implementing agencies: Land Bank of the Philippines, Departments of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Public Works and Highways, National Irrigation Administration, and Land Registration Administration.

The PARCCOM conference was held until Sept. 15, 2021, at the EM Royale Hotel in San Juan, La Union.

SAN JUAN, La Union - Hinimok ni Department Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Brother John Castriciones ang mga tagapangulo ng Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committees (PARCCOM) na mas palakasin pa ang pagpapatupad ng Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) sa buong bansa.

Ang DAR ay nagsasagawa ng isang pambansang kumperensya para sa PARCCOM upang bigyan sila ng oryentasyon sa mga pinakabago at binagong mga alituntunin ng DAR, at upang bigyan sila ng kaalaman sa katayuan ng pagpapatupad ng programang repormang agraryo, upang bigyang-diin ang mga hamon sa pagpapatupad ng programa.

Si Castriciones, na siyang Pangalawang Tagapangulo ng Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC), ay nagsabi na ang aktibidad ay may mahalagang papel sa pagtupad sa mga ipinag-uutos ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa DAR.

"Inatasan kami ng Pangulo na tapusin ang balanse ng land acquisition and distribution ng DAR sa lalong madaling panahon, ipamahagi ang lahat ng mga lupain na pagmamay-ari ng pamahalaan at parselahin at titulohan ang mga collective CLOAs ng mga agrarian reform beneficiaries. Kailangan namin ang inyong tulong para mas madali at mabilis na maisagawa ito,” ani Castriciones.

Ayon kay Castriciones simula nang ipinatupad ang CARP noong 1988, ang pamahalaan ay may natitira pang 548,564 ektarya ng lupain na kailangang ipamahagi sa mga agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), kung saan karamihan dito ay kabilang sa mga lupaing may malalaking problema.

Sa pamamagitan ng Executive Order No. 75, na nilagdaan ni Pangulong Duterte noong 2019, ang ahensya ay nagkaroon ng mandato na ipamahagi ang mga government-owned lands sa bansa.

Inilahad rin ng Kalihim na 1.3-milyong ektarya ng collective CLOAs ang paghahati-hatiin sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatupad ng Project SPLIT o Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling.

"Humigit kumulang 1.1-milyong magsasaka ang makikinabang sa SPLIT," sabi ni Castriones.

Ang Project SPLIT ay ang pagpapahusay sa balangkas ng regulasyon para sa parcelization at pagpapatitulo ng mga collective CLOAs.

"Kung tayo ay magtulungan, magagawa natin ito," ani Castriciones sa mga tagapangulo ng PARCCOM.

Ang PARC ay ang pinakamataas na policy-making body ng bansa para sa repormang agraryo habang ang mga kasapi ng PARCCOM ay binubuo ng mga kinatawan mula sa iba`t ibang sektor tulad ng mga may-ari ng lupa, mga benepisyaryong magsasaka, mga samahan ng mga magsasaka, kooperatiba, mga katutubo, at mga non-government organizations.

Ang mga lumahok sa kumperensya ay ang mga PARCCOM chairpersons, PARCCOM head secretariats, DAR officials, at mga kinatawan mula sa CARP-implementing agencies: Land Bank of the Philippines, Departments of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Public Works and Highways, National Irrigation Administration, and Land Registration Administration.

Ang kumperensya ng PARCCOM ay isinagawa hanggang Setyembre 15, 2021 sa EM Royale Hotel sa San Juan, La Union.