Mindanaoans support DAR's move to cover Mindanao as land reform area

August 15, 2018, 11:36 am

DAR Secretary John Castriciones leads the consultation to address concerns to place Mindanao as land reform area and distribute all government lands, including military camps, to the farmer-beneficiaries.

“We fully support the land reform program of the country. We are amenable to give enough space for all, and we are willing to help facilitate land reform program in our communities,” Sultan Monsing Macabando of Marawi Sultanate League emphasized this statement on Monday here in Marawi City.

The support came up during the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) 1st Stakeholders’ Consultation for the Distribution of Public Lands and Government Reservations to Rightful Claimants held in Mindanao State University, Marawi City.

The consultation, attended by representatives from various government agencies and stakeholders of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), convenes issues, opinions, and suggestions to address concerns that may come up prior and during the conduct of land surveys, which will determine the areas that can be covered under CARP in Mindanao.

Sultan Monsing Macabando of Marawi Sultanate League shakes hand with DAR Secretary John Castriciones to show his support for the implementation of the government’s agrarian reform program.

"The DAR secretary's visit and the conduct of the 1st consultation in Marawi City signifies the department's sincerity and good intentions for the farmers of Mindanao," Macabando said.

The Sultan, however, expressed concern and reminds the government that the people’s rights should also be respected during the course of identifying possible lands in Mindanao to be covered under the CARP.

The consultation is pursuant to President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to cover the whole Mindanao as land reform area and to distribute all government lands, including military camps, to the farmer-beneficiaries.

DAR Secretary John R. Castriciones said, he considered the discussion successful upon hearing all the views, issues and suggestions of all the concerned sectors.

DAR Secretary John Castriciones with various representatives from government agencies and stakeholders of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

“We have decided to form a committee where all the concerned parties will be involved so that all issues can addressed, deliberated and synthesized,” Castriciones said.

The Secretary revealed that the process will be a bit problematic because of the overlapping claims and the non-establishment of the metes and bounds of the areas to be covered.

“Once the committee succeeds in identifying the real owners or the real recipients of these lands, we hope that, the just resolutions on these issues will lead to peace and development in Mindanao, particularly in Marawi,” Castriciones noted.

Castriciones said he is very positive that the committee will be able to resolve the issues at hand, considering that all the sectors involved are very cooperative. He noted that this act already serves as an assurance that they will succeed in this endeavor.

The consultation, spearheaded by the DAR was attended by representatives from the various government agencies including the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, National Defense, Social Welfare and Development, Land Registration Authority, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, among others and various CARP stakeholders in Mindanao.

#AgrarianReform #DAR4Farmers #Land4Farmers #ComfortableLifeForAll #PartnerForChange #CARP@30:DARe2Change

2024 Department of Agrarian Reform.