Landowners air concern over DAR’s budgetary problems

Several landowners have voiced concern over the reported budgetary constraints that the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) will be experiencing pending the approval of the 2007 budget.

Owners of privately owned lands, which make up 95 percent of the 1.606-million hectares still up for distribution expressed fears that they might not be compensated properly by the DAR once their properties were covered by the program. Recently, the DAR has discovered new lands for coverage by CARP in addition to the 600,000 remaining landholdings for distribution.

The concern of the landowners were also shared by some farmers organizations which said that landowners’ resistance and assurance of farmers’ productivity remain as the biggest threats to agrarian reform. They however, expressed optimism that the DAR could handle this problem if only the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) would be provided adequate funding support.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser C. Pangandaman explained that many landowners are not particularly against CARP but "the so-called apprehension all boils down to the availability of funds for landowners’ compensation."

The farmers, however, stressed that if the 2006 budget will be re-enacted this year, then it would raise a lot of problems that could hamper the implementation not only of the land distribution program but also the provision of support services to farmers as there would no more appropriation cover from the agrarian reform fund this year.

"If this will happen, then, the agrarian reform program will be bracing for tough times ahead," they added.

Under the 2007 budget, which is yet to be approved by the bicameral committee, some P4.26 billion will be allocated to compensate 100,000 hectares of targeted properties that will be distributed for the period. This is almost twice as much as last year’s P2.5-billion allocation.

They were also alarmed that under the recommended budget by both houses of Congress for the year, the P737.4-million allocation for program beneficiaries’ development is much lower compared to last year’s P2.59 billion. The beneficiaries’ development consists of extension and support services to farmers and agrarian reform communities such as farm-to-market roads, irrigation, marketing assistance, and post-harvest facilities.

"These are all important components of the program to ensure the productivity and increase in income of agrarian reform beneficiaries all over the country," the farmers said.

So far, the DAR has distributed 1.5-million hectares of private farmlands, which cost the government P49.3 billion, of which P38.4 billion have already been paid to landowners. Most of the private lands that are to be acquired and distributed are planted to coconut, which accounted for 26 percent. Ricelands come in second, having been accounted for 20 percent. Other major crops are sugar and corn.