'land ownership' Politics

Johny Torun (63.176.159.0) -

This is a good topic, but to narrow down this broad topic, let me talk about how the government through programs (like the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law) implement this and how farmers are actually benefiting from such law and program?

Let me quote this here:

"The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)

January 6th, 2008 | What's behind?

By Neil Jerome C. Morales

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) was a land reform law mandated by Republic Act No. 6657, signed by President Corazon Aquino on June 10, 1988. It was the fifth land reform law in fifty years, following the land reform laws of Presidents Manuel Quezon, Ramon Magsaysay, Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand Marcos.

According to RA 6657, CARP aims “for a more equitable distribution and ownership of land.” It meant to distribute lands to farmers in a span of 10 years, but was extended by the 11th Congress due to delays in land distribution and lack of budget allocation.

Section 3 of RA 6657 defined agrarian reform as the “redistribution of lands, regardless of crops or fruits produced, to farmers and regular farm workers who are landless” and “all other arrangements alternative to the physical redistribution of lands, such as production or profit-sharing, labor administration and the distribution of shares of stock which will allow beneficiaries to receive a just share of the fruits of the lands they work.”

Vast agricultural lands are distributed to the farmers tilling the land, whereas only a maximum of five hectares can be retained by the landlords, and three hectares for each of their children.

However, a common CARP loophole was that landlords escaped relinquishing their lands through land reclassifications. Lands classified by local zoning ordinances as residential, commercial and industrial lands are excluded from CARP.

SOURCE:

Department of Agrarian Reform website, http://www.dar.gov.ph"

Comment #1 Gerry Balbona (63.176.159.32) -

That is why it is still a Program, because there are land owners sitting in congress and they are stopping the progress of this program from becoming a law. What is sad that instead of these congressmen giving back to the hardworking farmers and their fellowmen, they rather use the law and technical matters to deceive and evade the implementation of such programs. This is one of the rotten and used up dirty politics that is still being used by politicians in the Philippines.

Comment #2 moy (63.176.159.115) -

It seems to me that politicians are the same in every part of the world. What separates them is the level of similarity. If politicians continue sitting on the power to draft and make laws, then their beneficiaries(the so called electorate)will continue standing to lose.

It is the norm to get into leadership circles and have a turn around in terms of principles. Is this program ever going to see the light of day? Can President Aroyo turn things around?

Comment #3 Cesar Miniao (125.60.241.251) -

Philippine laws on land ownership sucks!!!... That's why Rebels cannot be defeated and conflicts in Mindanao can't be resolved is because the rich families who owns the lands don't want to give out the lands to the farmers who worked hard for so many years on those lands... That's why there are still lots of poor people in the country is because the laws are only for the rich.. If you are poor you'll be labeled "squatters" and they can demolish your house if they want to, even if the government has projects on a certain land, they will just demolish the houses of poor people and won't even pay the right amount the the house owners deserve to get!!!... In the US farmers are rich, they farm a vast size of land, in the Philippines if you are a farmer, you are poor and your farming a land that you don't even own, , and all the profit goes to the owners of the land.

So unless the distribution of wealth and a proper land ownership laws will be implemented, Philippines will still suffer poverty and misery...

Comment #4 cespeta (63.176.159.38) -

I deem to agree about that issue of land reform in the Philippines. I know that there is no genuine land reform being implemented in this land as of the moment.

Comment #5 fab (63.176.159.38) - 11/22/09 04:55

I'm agree with moy the same happens in every where. In Perú people still waiting for some changes but the goverment has done nothing.

We thought The president Alan Garcia could do a better job after his not so memorable first term of office which by the way was one of the worst goverment Peru has have.

You will find some numbers saying that the poverty has been cut 5 % but the reality is other.

Comment #6 Wally (63.176.159.88) - 01/09/10 10:01

That is the sad part of Politics fab, those who are in power and position will not let us know what is the real score and data regarding a certain matter.

But I have to say that people should become more observant on what is happening in their country. This way they will know if there are any anomalies happening.

Have a good day everyone and keep those post coming.

Comment #7 Kasi (63.176.159.211) - 02/02/10 09:07

No real information is really circulating in the respect to alot of the matters at hand and I am not very aware of much due to this. Politics will always have it's skeletons and drama that's just a part of the package.

Comment #8 Lorna Suarez (59.100.89.243) - 02/06/10 21:46

"Land ownership"

To Cesar Miniao:

Your comment does not make sense. While you recognise the importance of farm sizes to be economically viable, you also want existing big farms to be subdivided/redistributed to individuals.

What is happening in the agrarian reform, beneficiaries are selling their lands even before the 10 year requirement, because lands are too small and they have to experience starvation before a miniscule harvest. I have seen it too many times.

Agrarian reform is not the solution to the farmers' economic hardship. What should be done is improve the pay of farm workers/employees and make farm tenancy illegal. If land owners want to cultivate their land, then they must pay a legally determined rate to workers. If they think they cannot afford to pay workers, then the government should decide on what course of action to take to make the land productive. The problem is lazy and useless government departments do not care what is happening on the ground and workers remain very poor because they do not get a decent wage.

The agrarian reform program is so stupid and just causing chaos.

If you are referring to the "Rebels" as the NPA's, let me tell you that those who join them are just lazy thugs who extort money from people who sweat for a living. They even collect money from the poor merchants in the villages. They terrorise people and so deserve to be treated as terrorists.

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