The House of Representatives has approved the proposed 2022 budget of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) during the plenary deliberations held on 22 September 2021.

Congressman Teodorico Haresco, Jr., who sponsored the DAR 2022 budget, successfully handled and answered all the queries during the interpellations for the proposed P12.838- billion 2022 funding for the DAR during a budget hearing by the House Committee on Appropriations.

DAR’s proposed P12.838- billion budget for 2022 is higher than its current budget for 2021 which is P8.8 billion.

MAGSASAKA Partylist Representative Argel Joseph T. Cabatbat proposed for the appropriation of an additional P515 million budget for DAR’s Kumustasaka implementation.

Kumustasaka is a DAR program where DAR officials and personnel personally visit the agrarian reform areas to validate the existing owners of the lands distributed by the DAR, the present crops planted and the support services needed by the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) to improve their farm productivity.

He said that it is about time that DAR finds out what really happened to the 2.9 million ARBs who received their certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) from 1972 to 2021 to determine if the DAR is successful or not.

“We believe that the farmers not only need land but also marketing assistance, seed assistance and other various assistance to develop themselves,” he said.

Haresco went over the DAR’s proposed budget and was convinced for the passage of its budget to fully implement land acquisition and distribution, support services project and all of its other programs.

Earlier, DAR Secretary John R. Castriciones shared the desire of the DAR to continuously improve the state of Philippine agriculture and the livelihood of the farmers through the provision of various services, which is the very reason why the department needs the proposed budget of P12.838-billion for the fiscal year 2022.

DAR has distributed 4,840,981 hectares of agricultural lands to 2,691,872 ARBs from 1972 until June 2021. As of January 2021, the agency still has a balance of some 513,287 has. of land for acquisition and distribution.

The proposed 2022 budget will be allotted to various program components of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), such as land tenure services, agrarian justice delivery, agrarian reform beneficiaries development services, operations, and the rest will be allotted to general administration and support to operations.

Inaprubahan na ng Kongreso ang mungkahing 2022 badyet ng Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) sa ginanap na plenaryo noong Setyembre 22, 2021.

Matagumpay na inihain ni Congressman Teodorico Haresco, Jr. ang 2022 badyet ng DAR at sinagot ang lahat ng mga katanungan sa interpelasyon sa ginanap na budget hearing ng House Committee on Appropriations sa panukalang P12.838- bilyong 2022 badyet para sa DAR.

Ang iminungkahing P12.838- bilyong badyet ng DAR para sa 2022 ay mas mataas kaysa sa kasalukuyang badyet nito para sa 2021 na nagkakahalaga ng P8.8 bilyon.

Iminungkahi naman ni MAGSASAKA Partylist Representative Argel Cabatbat ang paglalaan ng karagdagang P515 milyong badyet para sa pagpapatupad ng programa ng DAR na Kumustasaka.

Ang Kumustasaka ay programa ng DAR kung saan ang mga opisyal at empleyado ng DAR ay personal na bumibisita sa mga lugar kung saan ipinapatupad ang repormang agraryo upang mapatunayan kung sino ang kasalukuyang nagmamay-ari ng mga lupang naipamahagi ng DAR, anu-ano ang mga pananim dito at mga suportang serbisyo na kinakailangan ng mga agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) upang mapabuti ang kanilang produksyon sa sakahan.

Ayon sa kanya dapat malaman ng DAR kung ano talaga ang nangyari sa 2.9 milyong mga ARBs na tumanggap ng mga certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) simula 1972 hanggang 2021 upang matukoy kung naging matagumpay ang DAR o hindi.

“Naniniwala kami na hindi lang lupa ang kailangan ng mga magsasaka, kailangan din nila ng tulong sa pagbebenta, ayuda sa mga binhi at iba’t ibang mga tulong para mapaunlad ang kanilang mga sarili,” aniya.

Sinuring mabuti ni Haresco ang panukalang badyet ng DAR at naging kumbinsido ito upang ipasa ang iminungkahing pondo para sa ahensya na ilalaan sa pagpapatupad ng pagsakop at pamamahagi ng lupa sa mga magsasaka, pagkakaloob ng suportang serbisyo at iba pang mga programa nito.

Nauna dito ay ibinahagi ni DAR Secretary John R. Castriciones ang kagustuhan ng DAR na patuloy na mapabuti ang estado ng agrikultura sa Pilipinas at kabuhayan ng mga magsasaka sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng iba’t ibang mga serbisyo, kung kaya kailangan ng ahensya ang iminungkahing badyet na P12.838-bilyon para sa taong 2022.

Ang DAR ay nakapamahagi na ng 4,840,981 ektaryang lupang pang-agrikultura sa 2,691,872 ARBs mula 1972 hanggang Hunyo 2021. Ang ahensya ay mayroon pa ring balanse na humigit-kumulang na 513,287 ektarya ng lupa noong Enero 2021 na kailangang sakupin at maipamahagi sa mga magsasaka.

Ang iminungkahing 2022 budget ay ilalaan sa iba't ibang mga bahagi ng programa ng Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), tulad ng land tenure services, agrarian justice delivery, agrarian reform beneficiaries’ development services, operations, at ang iba pa ay ilalaan para sa general administration at support to operations.