CARPer or CARP: Nothing new with same old DAR

The nation was in grief with the demise of a woman the world widely acknowledged as an “icon of democracy”. Amidst, however, on the outpouring of praises and the recollection of the great deeds of President Cory, politicians where jockeying for the best seat at the Manila Cathedral hoping for a free ride on the most watched TV program at the moment. 

On the streets, we were given the chance to reminisce the peaceful takeover of government with the sea of humanity packing up the streets. There, we saw people in all walks of life, trying to take a final glimpse of the great leader. With its sheer number, “people power” fanatics (mostly, political opponents) were trying to claim that another peaceful uprising may yet happen.

On the other hand, the Arroyo government was trying to downplay such a claim. In trying to put-off a potential upheaval, it doused water into the fire by signing into law the bill extending the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) for five years. With this, CARP is extended from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2014 and was politically renamed CARPer or CARP Extension with Reforms. According to Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, the government “provides a P150-billion outlay for the acquisition and distribution of 1.6 million hectares of all agricultural lands as well as support services for 1.2 million farmer-beneficiaries”.

According to the law, “40 percent of all funds for agrarian reform in the five years will be set aside for support services, such as land survey and titling; socialized terms on agricultural credit facilities; extension services, infrastructure and use of fertilizer, among others”.

Looking at the old CARP, there is absolutely nothing new in the outlined programs. Except for the new coined acronym CARPer, this same CARP will still be implemented by the same old Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). With nothing new, we can’t help but take a look at the CARP we use to have and see what kind of amelioration the farmers/beneficiaries felt or experienced then.

Appropriately, therefore, let us first look deeper into what had transpired since President Magsaysay broached the idea several decades ago. Before most of us learned to breath, sizeable areas had already been transferred to the beneficiaries. Decades passed and we are seeing a few that are tilled while some are left in total neglect.  

To those who abandoned, they might have pursued a different approach in emancipating themselves. On the other hand, to those who were stuck, they must have realized that what they have are just too little for their needs (not just food, but should include their kids’ education).

Other beneficiaries have formed groups. Sadly, some of those who organized themselves into cooperatives are not cultivating them. Some of these cooperatives are leasing out their lands and content themselves by simply earning rental. Sarcastically, however, non-beneficiaries of CARP maintain these. These non-beneficiaries are mostly entrepreneurs and are profitably cultivating the same land where the beneficiaries failed.   

This scenario isn’t difficult to comprehend. It simply means that they should abandon the mentality of slaves and bury the attitude of mendicants. They are now free to till the land they own and be successful entrepreneurs. If done properly, in trying to empower them by owning the lands they till, they will not only free themselves out of poverty, they shall be able to help this country attain food-sufficiency. 

On the contrary, however, instead of helping this country be self-sufficient, we are continuing to subsidize this program. All these years, the beneficiaries have continued to behave like slaves when in fact, money-wise, this government had already spent a lot to free them. Worst, they’ve started to act like mendicants by raking in over P4.0 billion in annual subsidy until today.

The Department of Agrarian reform (DAR) can’t help them in this concern. DAR is incompetent. Their incompetence and corrupt practices are so pronounced in unliquidated advances amounting to P1,471,392,800 and payments to alleged consultants of P646.5 million in 2006 alone. Whatever these consultants brought to this program, we are not aware of. What was obvious is, on top of this disbursement, DAR also paid P16.4 million in professional fees on the same year.  

Curiously, on top of these disbursements, training expenses amounted to P174.6 million. Who, probably, have they trained? If it was spent for the beneficiaries, then why are they abandoning their lands or mismanaged their cooperatives? 

From these sad experiences, what is imperative now is for this government to equip these beneficiaries with sound entrepreneurial skills through the able support of the Department of Trade and Industries. Let us train them also on new farming technologies through the guidance of the technical experts from the Department of Agriculture. 

Henceforth, government leaders and politicians alike should stop taking advantage on the impoverish situations our farmers are in today. Paying lip service into it will certainly not work. They should reconsider their propensity to focus on poverty at face value not its roots. They should also realize that in doing so, whatever initiatives they will try to implement could not even put a tiny dent in its surface. 

Indeed, if nothing at all shall change with the CARPer, we can only surmise that all these acts are deliberate and are just orchestrated. The possibility that our government leaders (a.k.a. traditional politicians) are not seriously considering any solution to free them (the poor) from bondage would, in fact, even be a big truth. After all, having poverty makes it handy for politicians to have a platform in every election – poverty alleviation.

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