Pagdanganan takes cudgels for embattled DAR personnel

CEBU CITY – Agrarian Reform Secretary Roberto M. Pagdanganan has created a new office manned by veteran agrarian lawyers to come to the rescue of some 200 field officers, who are facing harassment suits filed by landowners in the course of implementing the government’s agrarian reform program.

Pagdanganan said at a news conference that the newly created Office of the Management Council is tasked to provide legal assistance to agrarian reform personnel who are unjustly charged with administrative and/or criminal offenses, while in the performance of their duties.

He said his office had already informed the Department of Budget and Management for approval of this modification aimed at strengthening the legal bureau of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and making it more responsive to the needs of its personnel.

"The creation of this office is very timely to safeguard our personnel from the so-called harassment suits," Pagdanganan said, citing among others officials from the regional down to the municipal levels of local DAR offices in the Visayas, who are often the victims of these harassment suits.

He said that some agrarian personnel are reluctant and, at times, intimidated to pursue the program vigorously because of fear of being sued by some parties, more particularly the landowners.

"This is precisely what we are trying to address. We want our personnel to do their job with assurance that they are being taken cared of," Pagdanganan said.

Earlier, DAR had linked arms with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to avail itself of the organization’s legal assistance program for its agrarian reform personnel, who are being sued by landowners opposed to land reform.