DAR Bicol excels in the delivery of agrarian justice in 2023
LEGAZPI CITY – DAR Bicol once again championed the advocacy of providing and delivering adequate and excellent agrarian justice to Bicolano agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), farmers, and their families in 2023. This and many other positive updates regarding the outstanding performance of the sector were presented during the Year-End Performance Review and Enhanced Workshop for the Legal Sector held on November 22–24, 2023, at the Primus Hotel and Resort, Caceres Heights, Pacol, Naga City.
The three-day event serves as a platform for showcasing the achievements, skills, and camaraderie among all provinces as they come together to review the sector's contributions to the inclusive delivery of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in the region.
"You have once again raised the tone and the flag of Bicol Region in bagging high accomplishments for the sector in the entire country. You have made us proud!" lauds Regional Director Reuben Theodore C. Sindac during his message. Additionally, RD Sindac challenged and inspired the industry to once more collaborate in order to reach new heights in the years to come.
DAR Bicol Region's Legal Head Atty. Leo Miguel Ramos took pride in the sector's outstanding achievements throughout the year. He highlighted the legal group's resolution of 1,497 cases throughout the year, which has once again exceeded its forecast for 2023.
For 2023, the sector has assisted in the mediation and conciliation of 5387 cases throughout the Bicol Region, exceeding its annual target by 129%. Atty. Antonio Ricardo P. Tejada, the Provincial Adjudicator of the Camarines Norte, facilitates the discussion of the salient features of the 2021 DARAB Rules and Procedures.
PARAD Tejada entertained specific questions from legal officers, particularly on the filing and resolution of quasi-judicial cases filed before the adjudication board.
One of the recent jurisprudence on the exercise of the right of retention was comprehensively discussed by Atty. Ira Sheena H. Magayanes of DAR Camarines Sur II.
The case enunciated the primary goal of CARP as a social justice program of the government to accommodate the interests of the working class, such as landless farmers and farmworkers, on the humane justification that those with less privilege in life should have more in law.
Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs, Atty. Maria Celestina Tam shares her expertise in her discussion of the underlying problems, issues, and concerns relative to the application of the 2017 Rules on Agrarian Law Implementation.
ASec. Tam thoroughly explained the nuances of the legislation, actively addressed the frequent problems encountered by the group, and patiently listened to the group's suggestions with the promise that the same will not fall on deaf ears.
The sector is extremely optimistic about the upcoming years, particularly with the recent signing of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (NAEA) and its ongoing support for the execution of the Support to Parcelization of Land for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project.
All the provincial chiefs, legal officers, and assistants from Bicol's provinces attended the year-end review and workshop.
