Dacongcogon Mill: Saved by the bill

Dacongcogon Sugar Central in Kabankalan City was saved from premature collapse Thursday when American Industrial Ventures turned over P2.6 million for the salaries of workers.

This will enable the mill to operate starting Dec. 8, according to Dacongcogon Producers Cooperative Marketing Association (DPCMA) chairman Wilfredo Miraflores Jr.

He disclosed that Amertech will take over the operation of the mill next week as they still have to undertake repairs in preparation for the start of operations on Dec. 8.

The Amertech check, however, does not solve the problem. As a matter of fact, DPCMA director Rolando Parpa said that the memorandum of agreement signed by Amertech with majority of the coop’s board was illegal. In short, the mill and the firm will still face legal suits.

Parpa said his group had filed a complaint with the Cooperative Development Authority, asking them to nullify the MOA with Amertech.

He claimed that DPCMA, in a general assembly, had passed a resolution asking the Philippine National Bank and the Philippine Sugar Corp. not to foreclose the mortgage of the mill and to continue financing its operations.

The same resolution also supported the takeover and management of Dacongcogon mill for crop year 2006-2007 by PNB and the Philsucor. But the members of the board reportedly deferred the resolution and approved the MOA with Amertech Ventures.

Parpa added that under the provisions of the loan agreement of Dacongcogon with the two financing institutions, the cooperative cannot get financing from another party without informing the two agencies.

Dacongcogon was the centerpiece project of the late Bacolod Bishop Antonio Fortich. The Dacongcogon area was occupied by marginal corn farmers, whom he organized to form a cooperative. He also convinced the farmers to shift to sugarcane planting.

Later, he and the late Ben Gaston encouraged the cooperative to borrow money from the government and bought a second-hand mill from AIDSISA in Silay City. This was rebuilt in the area and handled the milling of the sugarcane produce of the new sugar planters.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Maranon tried to mediate in the conflict and asked the board members of the cooperative to unite and come up with a solution to the impasse.

The problem is this: Can the DPCMA enter into a MOA for a second-mortgage of its assets with another firm? This is the real problem. We just hope that Bishop Fortich’s social responsibility project, which won the coveted Ramon Magsaysay award, will not go to waste.

Furor over CARP hearing

The House Agrarian Reform committee held a public hearing in Iloilo City last Wednesday. But the group, headed by Akbayan partylist Rep. Mario Aguja, seemed to have stirred a hornet’s nest.

Although purportedly arranged by the Department of Agrarian Reform, some of those invited to the affair claimed to have been given the run around as to the venue of the hearing.

Worse, members of the Negros Occidental PARCOM complained in a long distance call to the PRC that they had not been given transportation allowance to attend the hearing. "Even just the fare to and from Iloilo City," said Jimmy Araneta, PARCOM director.

Rony Kho-Lozada, from Manapla town of Negros Occidental, not only denounced the failure of DAR to provide for their fare in going to and from Iloilo , but also its failure to introduce them as PARCOM representatives from Negros Occidental.

Murcia town Mayor Sonny Coscolluela said he was able to give his observations and reports on CARP only after Rep. Edgar Espinosa of Guimaras.

Coscolluela said that in 2004, the town had collectibles in land taxes amounting to P58 million from land reform areas. Collection then reached only P77,000.

The situation improved late in 2005, but only because he had the political will to recommend that some of those properties be auctioned off by the provincial treasurer.

Funds intended for the town’s education program, Coscolluela said, was the worst hit because 50 percent of real property tax goes to the Special Education Fund, half which is shared with the provincial government.

Aguja explained that one of the main reasons for the proposed extension of CARP is that 1.9 million hectares of land are yet to be distributed.

The program was supposed to be extended only until 2003. Two bills are pending in the House — House Bill 5698 by Palawan Rep. Abraham Khalil Mitra, which seeks to extend the CARP for another five years; and HB 5743 by Akbayan Rep. Ana Theresa Hontiveros-Baraquel, which seeks the appropriation of an additional P100 billion for land acquisition and distribution.

Two farmers’ groups in Negros and Panay vehemently opposed the extension of CARP. The two groups are composed of rural workers and small farmers-beneficiaries of CARP.

The first is the Movement for Agrarian Reform Advancement (MARA) and the Bukluran ng Progresibong Magbubukid sa Pilipinas of Panay.

Both groups argued that they are for CARP but will oppose it if it simply means land distribution without provision for support services.

In this situations, fully productive lands end up less productive.

Well, as they say, very often what happens in public hearings is that the dialogue ends up as endorsement of what was already been filed, which is the reason why Coscolluela said he is in favor of calling for a consultation with local government officials of Negros Occidental so they can come up with a common position on CARP.

Maranon said the province has yet to collect P2.3 billion in real property taxes, P1 billion from farms owned by ABBs. But he anticipates that the province can only get a small percentage of the outstanding collectibles from agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Well, one can expect more vigorous outcries about the allegedly "dismal implementation of CARP." Local government units are the most vocal because they absorb the losses for land taxes and provision of basic services to their constituents are hampered.

ADDENDA. Bacolod folks were surprised recently when Senior Superintendent Pedro Merced was relieved as director of the Bacolod police. So with Superintendent Rene Aspera as 6th Regional Mobile Group commander. Senior Superintendent Ronilo Qubrar, former Antique provincial police director, will take over from Merced temporarily. Until last week, Regional police chief Geary Barias had been denying talks about Merced’s relief on the grounds that he had not yet received the order. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia denied that he was behind the relief of Merced, although rumors swirled in the city that Leonardia had been disenchanted with Merced... Elizabeth Salabas, wife of murder victim Eleuterio Salabas, challenged Chief Inspector Clarence Dongail to present solid proof that Salabas, who was kidnapped and murdered in 2003, is still alive and reportedly seen in several places abroad. This Dongail told Aksyon Radyo Bacolod that Salabas is still alive. Mrs. Salabas assured Dongail that she and her family are just as interested in the truth of the report if he can prove it. Six Bacolod policemen, including Dongail, are subjects of an arrest warrant issued by Guihulngan Regional Trial Court Judge Mario Trinidad for the kidnap-murder of Salabas, Maximo Lomoljo, and Ricardo Suganob, the latter a Maritime instructor from Cagayan de Oro City. The 10 other co-accused with the policemen are civilians headed by businessman Manolo Escalante…Meanwhile, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas has his hands full with the displacement of 700 pupils of the Jaro II Elementary School, following the Regional Trial Court order for school authorities to vacate the 5,000-square meter lot claimed by the heirs of Serfin Hinolan. The school has 20 classrooms and 10 non-academic buildings such as clinics, library and advancement room. The schoolchildren were transferred to a two-story Teen Center. That’s a major headache, which Mayor Trenas now confronts.