President Rodrigo on Thursday said that he would back the government’s agrarian reform program and would not break his promise of helping uplift the lives of landless tillers.
Duterte made the statement in the face of criticism that his administrationhad failed to push for the passage of a law that will bankroll the continuation of the acquisition and distribution of landholdings to poor peasants.
“I am for land reform. ‘Yan, isa ‘yan sa sinabi ko sa kampanya [that was one of the things I mentioned during the campaign] and I will not renege on it,” said Duterte in his speech at the Kapampangan Food Festival at the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga.
He said the country’s agriculture is the one “really lagging behind” other sectors “almost to a fault” and that “the only way to improve it really is to give more lands [to peasants] if we can afford it.”
The Duterte administration is left with a total balance of over 800,000 hectares of agricultural landholdings that the previous administration failed to acquire and distribute to farmer-beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program due to the absence of a law that would fund its implementation and the landlords’ stiff resistance to CARP.
Based on data from the Department of Agrarian Reform, more than 600,000 hectares of these landholdings remain undistributed to FBs, while another 200,000 hectares are not yet covered with CARP notices, which is the first of about 27 steps before landholdings could be acquired by the government in favor of farmers.
Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate introduced at least four measures—House Bills 114 and 3051 and Senate Bills 28 and 1056—to address this gap in CARP implementation. However, after one and a half years in power, the Duterte administration, which has the most number of allies in both legislative chambers, still failed to extend the program.
Still Duterte promised that, “I will look for money and buy [land]” for peasants, adding that he had appointed a new DAR chief—former Interior undersecretary for Operations John Ruelo Castriciones—after Rafael Mariano failed to get the nod of the Commission on Appointments because “he has the leanings of the Left” and because we have a Congress that is “not really sympathizing with the communists.”
Also, the President stressed the need to “improve the manufacturing side” of the agricultural sector but “we have to have law or peace there.”
He blamed the communists for the failure of the sector to improve and develop because of the rebels’ alleged “extortion” activities in agricultural areas.
“Eh itong mga komunista, left and right ang hingi eh. ‘Yong bagong pumapasok d’yan, they start to extort. And they say that they are helping the Filipinos for what? Subsidize in what? How many members of the politburo are there, the central committee? ‘Yan lang naman ang nag-enjoy,” he said.
As this developed, Castriciones has vowed to prioritize farmer beneficiaries and fasttrack the distribution of certificates of land ownership awards to agrarian reform beneficiaries
Castriciones assumed office on Thursday, December 7, in a “meet and greet” ceremony held at the Department of Agrarian Reform office in Quezon City. According to a DAR statement, Castriciones cited the neglect of farmers and the disregard of their plight as among the reasons of unrest especially in rural areas.
Castriciones reiterated that he wants to fast-track the distribution of certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs) to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB), as well as the provision of support programs and services to ARB organizations.
He told DAR’s top officials to look into the demands of farmers protesting outside the department’s office in Quezon City. He also urged DAR officers and employees to serve with honesty and integrity.
Undersecretaries Rosalina Bistoyong and Karlo Bello, together with other DAR officials, welcomed their new chief on Thursday.
President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Castriciones as acting secretary on December 1. He took over the post of Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano who was rejected by the Commission on Appointments in September.
Prior to his appointment, Castriciones served as undersecretary at the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). He is one of the three undersecretaries who complained to Duterte about former Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno.
Castriciones, together with DILG undersecretaries Jesus Hinlo and Emily Padilla, were later accused of corruption in an anonymous complaint sent to the President. The complaint, supposedly from DILG employees, asked the President to fire the three undersecretaries.
Hinlo was eventually appointed as a member of the board of directors of the Land Bank of the Philippines.
Padilla will join Castriciones at the DAR as undersecretary, after Duterte signed her appointment papers on Thursday.
