DAR to deploy more personnel to Negros

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Agrarian Reform will soon deploy more personnel to Negros Oriental to meet the target completion of the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) component of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program of which Negros Oriental has the most balance among the four provinces comprising Central Visayas.

DAR-7 director Rodolfo T. Inson said during a turnover ceremony of the new DAR Cebu Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO) last Wednesday, that the result of their assessment and planning conference last week has determined that Negros will be needing additional 17 Municipal Agrarian Reform Officers (MAROs) and additional technical personnel to accomplish the LAD balance of around 33, 000 hectares for the next five years.

DAR-7 may have to transfer some personnel from Cebu because Cebu has only 7, 625 hectares of LAD balance. There are also 38 MAROs working for the said balance while in Negros, the LAD balance of 33,000 hectares is being completed by only 37 MAROs.

Grace Fua, former PARO of DAR-Negros Oriental who is recently designated PARO of DAR-Cebu by switching position with PARO Stephen Leonidas, said that there are really a lot of workable loads to accomplish in Negros especially now that they only have five years to complete all the balances.

Aside from the fact that Negros Oriental is a big province and has more acquirable land for agrarian reform, DAR is also having challenges with resistant land owners.

Meanwhile, DAR-7 recently conducted an orientation seminar workshop on the Enhanced Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PME) System of the department in accordance with Republic Act 9700 or the CARPER law.

The enhanced PME is in response to the critical data requirements of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agrarian Reform which is tasked to oversee the CARP implementation for the next five years.

It is also in line with the Public Expenditure Management principles introduced by the Department of Budget and Management that aims to achieve a common goal of a more effective and efficient allocation and utilization of limited government resources. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja/WAB (THE FREEMAN)