Lawmakers seek review of CARP

Lawmakers are finally heeding the long-standing appeal of farmer-beneficiaries and landowners in Western Visayas for a review of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

In a press conference in Bacolod City last week, Sen. Loren Legarda said a review of CARP is necessary before its extension is considered.

“After 20 years, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law has to be reviewed because while there have been success stories, many of the beneficiaries have not really been empowered and their lives have not improved,” she said.

Legarda echoed the sentiments of beneficiaries and landowners in Western Visayas who claimed serious flaws in the implementation of CARP, including emphasis on land acquisition and distribution.

Negros Occidental Reps. Ignacio Arroyo (fifth district) and Jeffrey Ferrer (fourth district) have filed a resolution calling for a review of CARP to seek “just and fair distribution of lands to le-gitimate farm workers and tillers.”