Philippines: TFM renews call for distribution of Arroyo hacienda

Task Force Mapalad (TFM) has renewed call for distribution of the 157-hectare Hacienda Bacan in Barangay Guintubhan, Isabela, Negros Occidental, saying it has confirmation from the Department of Agrarian Reform that the property owned by First Gentlemen Mike Arroyo has no application for conversion.

TFM president Jose Rodito Angeles said they have secured a certification dated November 16, 2007 from the CLUPPI secretariat of DAR confirming that “there is no pending application for conversion filed by Rivulet Agro-Industrial [Corp.] for Hacienda Bacan.”

Angeles said DAR should immediately resume the process of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in the property since its reclassification in 2005 from agricultural to agro-industrial uses was erroneous and invalid.

“The municipal government of Isabela issued a resolution reclassifying the property and the provincial government of Negros Occidental upheld the resolution, but their act was invalid because they did not secure a certification from DAR that the property was not subject to CARP,” said Angeles.

He said the hasty move to reclassify the property was a tactic employed by the First Gentleman and his brother Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo to avoid the distribution of the property under CARP.

DAR records show that Hacienda Bacan was voluntarily offered by Iggy for sale under CARP in 2001, after President Arroyo announced that she would distribute to tillers the Arroyo landholdings in Negros Occidental.

However, the CARP process in the hacienda was stalled after the Land Bank said Iggy was not authorized to make voluntary offer and refused to process the hacienda’s claim folder because there was no voluntary offer to sell (VOS) letter from Mike Arroyo.

Angeles said that the 68 farm workers who were claiming for distribution of the property had been waiting for Mike Arroyo’s VOS letter since 2002.

“There was no indication Mike Arroyo would make a voluntary offer. On the contrary, he maneuvered for reclassification of the property. DAR should already issue a new notice of coverage for the hacienda,” said Angeles.

He said that under DAR Memorandum Circular No. 2 series of 1998, lands covered under VOS should be placed under compulsory acquisition (CA) if the landowner fails to submit within 15 days the documents required to have the property placed under VOS.—(30)

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