Land distribution target for 2001 reachable —

Agrarian Reform Secretary Hernani A. Braganza expressed confidence that the administration of President Arroyo will meet its target this year to distribute 100,000 private lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform (CARP) program as a result of reforms implemented during the last six months.

Appearing at the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Hotel, Braganza said he is optimistic that his department would meet the target set by President Arroyo despite a limited budget of P2.8 billion for land acquisition and distribution which is expected to cover only 70,000 hectares of land or 30,000 hectares short of the Arroyo promise in her State-of-the-Nation (SONA) address.

"We may even surpass the target since we are eyeing the acquisition and distribution of 105,743 hectares of land for the current year. This despite the fact that reenacted budget for the year 2001 only covers compensation for 70,000 hectares of private agricultural lands," he said in a forum moderated by Philippine Press Institute’s Jose Pavia and veteran newsman lawyer Bert Castro.

He said President Arroyo supported his earlier recommendation to seek congressional approval for a budget of P4.3 billion for DAR’s acquisition and distribution of private lands in 2002, which is P1.5 billion more compared to this year’s budget.

The DAR chief said the balance of land targeted for distribution will be covered under the direct payment scheme and voluntary land transfer where landowners are encouraged to sell their land to the tenants without money coming from the government.

Braganza reported that the new DAR team has been able to distribute 26, 437 hectares of land to 18,815 farmer-beneficiaries from January to June this year, which represents 26 percent of the total target for the year.

"Based on this report, we are on track and right on schedule as far as land distribution is concerned," Braganza said as he cited historical data compiled from 1998 showing that DAR’s accomplishments for land distribution ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 hectares for the first half of the year.

The number of land distributed increases dramatically during the third and fourth quarters of every year due to an eight-month processing cycle, Braganza said who recently received a fresh mandate from DAR employees nationwide as they batted for his retention in the Arroyo Cabinet. It was learned that 15,000 strong DAR employees denounced the ‘mob rule’ perpetrated by some farmers’ groups calling for his ouster even as they urged for Braganza’s immediate confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.