A ranking official of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has flagged a regional director for alleged failure to distribute a 1,170-hectare land in Negros Occidental to 914 beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Undersecretary for field operations Kazel Celeste, in a February 2024 memorandum, directed Region 6 director Sheila Enciso to proceed with the land acquisition and distribution of 20 farm lots covering 1,170 hectares.
She maintained that the memorandum was clear in mandating that Enciso should proceed with the completion of the land acquisition and distribution notwithstanding a protest or pending action.
She issued a new memorandum after a series of dialogue with the Task Force Mapalad representatives and concerned farmers, who camped out in front of DAR headquarters in Quezon City on Feb. 19 until Feb. 21 to dramatize their demand.
According to the Task Force Mapalad, Enciso refused to proceed with the acquisition and distribution of the disputed land due to supposed erroneous notices of coverage, and protests against CARP implementation or the nullification of the notices of coverage.
On June 6, 2023, Enciso told the DAR central office that Region 6 office was facing a dilemma in the implementation of Memorandum 226 due to protests against the notices of coverage and CARP itself.
Last Feb. 21, Celeste said “this Office calls your attention to what has been already stated under Memorandum 226, Series of 2023, which by itself is merely a rehash and reiteration of what is provided under Administrative Order No. 05, Series of 2017 and AO No. 02, Series of 2020.”
“As you represented in your letter dated 06 June 2023, it appears that the regional office “is already asserting a contrary position to the said regulations and is now seeking this Office’s intervention, guidance and wisdom to direct DAR 6 on the proper interpretation of the aforesaid regulations,” she further stated.
However, she gave Enciso a chance to file a position paper with the agency’s Legal Affairs Office and Policy Review and Formulation Committee.
She insisted that she would not issue any instruction contrary to the spirit and letter of Memorandum 226.
Task Force Mapalad, in a statement, complained about the inaction of Enciso, “who spent years dilly-dallying to distribute the disputed landholdings.”
Its members urged Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III to investigate the non implementation of CARP in Region 6.