Militant farmers storm DAR offices

Militant farmers yesterday stormed the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) building in Quezon City demanding the reversal of department orders deemed unfavorable to landless farmers.

At noontime yesterday, about 100 farmers belonging to the Pambansang Ugnayan ng mga Nagsasariling Lokal na Oganisasyon sa Kanayunan (UNORKA) and the Alyansa at Inisyatiba ng mga Organisasyong Biktima ng mga Exemption-Exclusion at Kumbersyong Tinira ni Obet (ALIS NA OBET) rushed to the DAR building along the Eliptical Circle in Quezon City and blocked the building’s entrance and exit gates.

The surprised DAR security guards promptly padlocked the two gates in the compoundto prevent the protesting farmers from entering the compound. The move, however, also prevented DAR employees from entering and leaving the compound.

In a statement, Eric Cabanit, UNORKA secretary general, said the siege is part of a week-long series of actions aimed at pressuring the DAR into reversing recent orders that allegedly favor landowners and real estate developers.

The orders, said Cabanit, granted the applications and appeals of landowners and real estate developers for agricultural land use conversion as well as exclusions and exemptions from the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

According to Cabanit, the orders cover about 2,000 hectares of agricultural lands, mostly in Mindanao, that remain in the hands of landowners instead of being awarded to landless farmers.

In the same statement, Cabanit added that they demanding the ouster of DAR Policy, Planning and Legal Affairs Undersecretary Ricardo Arlanza, who they said, was given blanket authority by DAR Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan over contentious land cases.

The farmers also demanded that Pagdanganan review all decided cases on land use conversion and exemptions/exclusions granted by DAR from Jan. to Dec. 2003. They also demand that DAR immediately decide on pending land cases.

In another statement, UNORKA president Vangie Mendoza, said that more than 200 decisions on conversions, exclusions and exemptions decided by the DAR between January to December 2003 were highly questionable as they favor landowners.

"There is more than meets the eye here. We beleive there was an elaborate attempt to raise millions for the elections through structural changes at the DAR that will ensure Pagdanganan’s control over decisions involving conversions and exemptions," Mendoza said.

As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the protestors agreed to lift the siege after they were informed by DAR Undersecretary for Finance and Administration Ted Rivera that Arlanza had already resigned and that Pagdangan has ordered a full review of all the cases they said were questionable.