This was underscored during a symposium-workshop held recently at the University of the Philippines (UP) participated in by officials from the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC), the Housing Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), the Community Mortgage Program and the DAR.
Assistant Director Rodolfo B. Bueno of DAR said the department is mandated by law to protect the rights of actual occupants of the land specially farmers, hence automatic conversion from farmland to other uses is not applicable.
Only in specific instances, he said, is a property clearly exempted. That is, if the farmer is occupying a residential land, conversion scheme is not applicable because the land is non-agricultural and is therefore not covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
"However, on lands used for agricultural purposes, conversion clearance is a must, as a safeguard against circumvention of the CARP, particularly its land acquisition and distribution component, particularly those already classified prior to June 15, 1988," Bueno stressed.
The following areas shall not be subject to conversion: 1) lands within protected areas like virgin forests, riverbanks and swamp areas which are determined by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; 2) all irrigated lands, where water is available to support rice and other crop production; 3) all irrigable lands already covered by irrigation projects with firm funding commitments; and 4) all agricultural lands with irrigation facilities.