Placing Boracay under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) is just “a side issue” in the Duterte administration’s plan to implement the second phase of agrarian reform.
This was disclosed by Secretary John Rualo R. Castriciones of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) who said the Duterte administration’s CARP Phase 2 will be broader to cover idle government-owned agricultural lands that have been previously allocated to various government agencies and institutions.
At a press conference during the kick-off ceremonies of the week-long celebration marking the 30th Anniversary of CARP at the DAR Compound in Quezon City on Monday, Castriciones said the Duterte administration is determined to implement the CARP Phase 2.
He said the President has reiterated his commitment about the aggressive implementation of the agrarian reform program.
“In the many outings that we have had, particularly towards distribution, he made mention of several policy programs which he wanted to be properly implemented. Of course, you are well aware of the issue of Boracay. But of course, it is just a side issue. The reality is he wanted to implement the second phase of the agrarian reform program,” he said.
The second phase or Phase 2 of CARP, he said, will require the enactment of a law extending the power of the DAR to issue a notice of coverage for private agricultural lands that have not been covered by CARP.
Under Republic Act 6657 and its amendatory law, Republic Act 9700 or the CARP Extension with Reform, there are still 651,000 hectares of CARP-covered land that will be distributed in the next 10 years.
A draft bill is has been submitted by DAR to Malacanang for review and approval by the Office of the President, says Castriciones.
On the other hand, the distribution of government owned-lands will require two separate Executive Orders – one for government-owned lands that are already allocated to government agencies or institutions, such as the vast tract fo lands assigned to the University of Northern Mindanao, and those that are not yet classified or has no classification.
A separate Executive Order, he said, will cover the distribution of agricultural lands on Boracay Island.
Castriciones said agrarian reform beneficiaries awarded with lands by the government can sell their land after 10 years, backing Pres. Duterte’s suggestion for would-be beneficiaries to sell their land to businessmen.
“Under the law, after 10 years, agrarian reform beneficiaries are allowed to sell their land. They can also file an application for land conversion,” he said.
Castriciones, however, said such land-conversion application will be strictly assessed or reviewed by DAR.