SENATORS said they would not be stampeded into passing a Palace-certified urgent bill extending the government’s controversial agrarian-reform program, or CARP, which is due to expire this month.

“The certification of Malacańang of the measure extending CARP would not change things in the Senate,” according to Sen. Joker Arroyo, because the executive branch, particularly the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), failed to clarify major concerns aired at committee hearings presided by Sen. Gregorio Honasan.

Arroyo said the concept in 1987 when the original CARP law was passed was to acquire tenanted lands, big and small, and give these to the tenants who tilled the soil. “Twenty years later, today, this has been largely accomplished already.”

“What DAR is doing presently is that they are foraging for lands to acquire to give them to landless people who are not even farmers, all because they are landless. That is not what CARP is,” Senator Arroyo asserted.

He complained that the lands being targeted are now the lands of the lower middle class who own a few hectares of land. “This is terrible injustice. Get lands from the lower middle class people to give to poorer people. This is not the idea of CARP. These people bought these lands with hard-earned money,” Senator Arroyo added. “Worse, many lands acquired by DAR for distribution have not been paid.”

According to Honasan, the members of the Senate agrarian reform committee would not “sacrifice the quality of our decision for the sake of expediency. We want to make sure that the data we need are all in so we can make an informed decision that will affect millions of lives.”

State schools have enough tutors–Lapus

EDUCATION Secretary Jesli Lapus on Tuesday assured the public there are enough teachers for public elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

THE Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association (Creba) on Tuesday asked the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City to stop the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) from implementing the land-conversion ban and other “oppressive” rules “that go beyond its authority and violate the Constitution and other laws.”

SENATORS said they would not be stampeded into passing a Palace-certified urgent bill extending the government’s controversial agrarian-reform program, or CARP, which is due to expire this month.

FARMERS from Tineg, Abra, have asked President Arroyo to relieve Chief Supt. Eugene Martin as Cordillera police commander, for his alleged failure to solve a spate of killings in their town and for harassing Mayor Edwin Crisologo.

CANADA wants to follow the tack of the United States and other countries that have existing military agreements with the Philippines by engaging Filipino soldiers in war exercises.

THE joint House Committees on Government Enterprises and on Labor are expected to conclude the congressional inquiry into the controversial transfer of franchise and management of the Philippine National Construction Co. (PNCC) to Skyway O&M Corp. (Somco) before Congress adjourns sine die on June 13, with the recommendation of filing of charges in court against PNCC-Somco officials involved.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—The National Counter Terrorism Action Group (Nactag) chief, Arturo Lomibao, said the group is adopting “target-hardening” measures to prevent a repetition of the bombings that have hit this city.