Eleven LGU officials commit to support housing program for farmers
THE dawning of a new era has come for the small farmers as more local government officials have stepped forward, committing themselves to give back what is due to the once-neglected lot – decent homes – through the BALAI (Building Adequate, Livable, Affordable and Inclusive) ARB/Farmers Housing Program.
This developed after 11 local government officials expressed their commitment and support to the program during the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the project proponent, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary John R. Castriciones, and his partner, Human Settlement and Urban Development Secretary Eduardo D. del Rosario, inside the Agricultural Training Institute in Quezon City.
Bro. John, as Castriciones is fondly called, said he believes that providing the beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) decent homes would help convince them to keep their farmlots and resist the urge of pawning or selling them.
“As I go around as part of our mandate of distributing farmlots to the landless, I noticed that many of our farmers are lacking in one of the basic needs of man – shelter. That is why I thought of coming up with this program that would help enhance their living condition and eventually convince them to stick with their farmlots,” Bro. John said.
Camarines Sur Gov. Miguel Luis Villafuerte led the other 10 municipal government officials, Mayors Gwen Yamamoto of Bani and Arth Bryan Celeste of Alaminos, both in Pangasinan; Germelina Goulart of Caoyan and Joseph Simon Valdez of Santa Lucia, both in Ilocos Sur; Carlos Cabangal of Banate and Rey Grabato of Mina, both in Iloilo; Nelson Legaspi of Canaman, Camarines Sur; Marita Llamas of Mauban, Quezon; Ralph Lantion of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya; and, Jonathan Mahimpit of Roxas, North Cotabato, in expressing their commitment to the farmers’ housing program.
The much-ballyhooed program of the DAR and DHSUD was launched last December and is being pilot-tested in Umingan, Pangasinan.
For his part, DHSUD Secretary Del Rosario said he finds the program worthwhile so that he did not hesitate “to give his consent” when Bro. John, brought up the idea to him last year.
DAR Undersecretary for Support Services Office Emily Padilla said the time has come “to show our love and support to our farmers for their immense contribution in keeping our nation together especially at this time of the Novel Coronavirus 19 pandemic.”
DAR Undersecretary for Planning, Policy and Research Office Virginia Orogo echoed: “I hope this is just the beginning of our collective efforts of ensuring that the rural poor will enjoy their right to live a comfortable life by providing them decent homes that will help enhance their human dignity.”
Report said that the farmers comprise 70 percent of the poorest of the poor in the rural areas.
Bani, Pangasinan Mayor Gwen Yamamoto agreed that the farmers deserve all the help that could be afforded to them for playing a vital role – which is to provide food on the table to every Filipino household – at the height of the pandemic.
“Our farmers, the agrarian reform beneficiaries, in fact, are the ones who helped us overcome the hardship brought about by the pandemic by providing us food at a time when there was nothing left in the market,” Yamamoto recalled.