The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is looking for more idle government-owned lands (GOLs) for distribution to landless farmers as mandated by Executive Order No. 75, series of 2019.
This as DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III instructed a thorough inventory of GOLs and wants their location pinpointed and total area determined for distribution to landless farmers and other qualified beneficiaries.
He said DAR field personnel should also ensure that these lands are free from adverse or overlapping claims to ensure the smooth flow of the land-distribution process.
EO 75 directs all government agencies to identify all idle GOLs suitable for agriculture for possible distribution to qualified beneficiaries.
To date, a total of 52,000 hectares of unused agricultural GOLs have been identified by the Department of Agrarian Reform for distribution to landless sectors.
To evaluate whether or not the subject GOLs are covered under the said EO, Estrella has reconstituted the DAR Validation Committee (DVC) and DVC Secretariat composed of Technical, Legal, Survey and Administrative Teams.
Estrella has directed the team to resolve issues and concerns related to the validation of coverable GOLs, issue directives and appropriate guidance to concerned field implementers to continue DAR’s coverage of the GOLs.
The team is also tasked to review the findings and recommendations of the previous Field Validation Team.
Kazel Celeste, Undersecretary for Field Operations, and head of the committee, was tasked by the DAR chief to ensure the smooth and orderly distribution of GOLs to landless war veterans, surviving heirs, military and police retirees and graduates of agriculture-related courses.
The DAR chief also tapped his three Undersecretaries, Atty. Napoleon Galit of the DAR Legal Affairs Office, Atty. Luis Meinrado Pangulayan of the Policy, Planning and Research Office and Atty. Milagros Isabel Cristobal of the Support Services Office, to assist Celeste in determining possible conflicts of interest involving concerned government agencies.
Galit, Pangulayan, and Cristobal will also act as the committee vice chairpersons.
Providing them technical assistance are committee members Engr. Joey Sumatra, Assistant Secretary for Field Operations; Atty. Celestina Tam, Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs; Lilibeth Lee, Bureau of Land Tenure Improvement Director; and Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, Bureau of Agrarian Legal Assistance Director.