The Department of Agrarian Reform on Tuesday announced that it has issued guidelines and procedures to streamline the tedious process of application for land use conversion through its Administrative Order No. 01 of 2019.
Secretary John Castriciones said the agency is mandated to approve or disapprove applications for land use conversion of agricultural lands to non-agricultural purposes pursuant to Section 65 of the Republic Act 6657 as amended by Executive No. 129-A, and paragraph (13), Section 3, Title XI of the Revised Administrative Code of 1987 (EO No. 292).
He said specific provisions of AO No.1, series of 2002 are amended to ensure the speedy disposition of the cases.
According to Castriciones, strictly no application shall be accepted, docketed and processed unless the documentary requirements for conversion grant are complete and sufficient in form and substance.
“When the agricultural land which is the subject of the application for conversion has been acquired under R.A. 6657, its conversion shall be allowed only if the applicant is the agrarian reform beneficiary thereof and the applicant upon conversion shall fully pay the price of the land,” AO No. 1 read.
Moreover, electronic copies of land titles can now be used as basis for identifying the landholding and its registered owner subject of the application in lieu of a certified true copy of the title except for Jolo in Sulu, Basco in Batanes, Tuao in Cagayan, Isabela in Basilan, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, Silay City, Negros Occidental, Dapitan City and Bongao in Tawi-Tawi.
Last February, DAR issued a warning against persons and organizations with vested interests, circulating fake and misleading allegations in relation to the proposed DAR AO No. 1 on the streamlining of the process for land use conversion applications.
The statement said that “there is no truth to the erroneous and malicious allegations that the proposed AO is ‘anti-farmer.’”
The order reflects the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte for all concerned agencies that play a role in determining if the requirements provided by the law for land conversion to come up with a solution that makes sure the process would not be delayed subject to the tiller’s rights and food sufficiency.”‹