DAR meets Luzon provincial committee chairpersons to discuss guidelines and issues on agrarian reform
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) conducted a national conference for the Luzon Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committees (PARCCOMs) chairpersons and oriented them on the latest and revised DAR guidelines, apprised them on the status of the agrarian reform program implementation, and underscored the challenges in the implementation of the program.
DAR Secretary Bernie Cruz said the conference plays a crucial role in strengthening PARCCOM, which is one of the DAR’s instruments in successfully implementing agrarian reform in the countryside.
Undersecretary for Field Operations Office Atty. Elmer N. Distor said that PARCCOM is vital in policymaking in the implementation of agrarian reform since they are in charge of coordinating and monitoring the programs, activities, and projects implemented at the field level.
“The PARCCOM is the heart and mind of the farmers,” Distor said.
PARC Secretariat OIC-Director Belle Estrada said PARCCOM chairperson aside from being updated on the accomplishments and plan of action for the succeeding year, were oriented among others on House Bill No. 5507, instituting the 2nd phase of agrarian reform program, Project SPLIT(Support for Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling), Barangay Agrarian Reform Committee (BARC) reorganization and strengthening.
“They should also encourage women's participation to ensure gender equality and empowerment in the decision making,” Estrada said.
An open forum and sharing of PARCCOM’s best practices in resolving the problems they encountered in the past were also conducted during the conference.
Laguna PARCCOM Chairperson Almera P. Ascaño said that the conference serves as a venue for exchanging views with different provinces on the same problem with lands distributed by the government such as “rampant selling of CLOAs”.
The PARCCOM’s Luzon group (Cluster A) combination of face-to-face and virtual approach was conducted from December 1-3, 2021 in Cavite City, composed of representatives from Aurora, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Batangas, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Quezon, Occidenal Mindoro, Marinduque, Palawan, Oriental Mindoro and Romblon.
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.