Farmers Hail Statement of Catholic Bishops on CARP

Farmers belonging to the peasant federation Task Force Mapalad (TFM) hailed a statement signed by 61 Catholic bishops opposing the Joint Resolution No. 19 passed by Congress last December 17 and calling on the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) “to stick to its Constitutional mandate of continuing CARP [Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program] until all agricultural lands are covered.”

TFM president Jose Rodito Angeles said the statement, issued the other day, affirms the justness of the farmers’ demand for CARP extension with reforms and testifies to the overwhelming sentiment of vast sectors for social justice through asset redistribution in the countryside.

“The Catholic bishops have given the farmers a morale boost and renewed hope to pursue the struggle for land rights against powerful anti-CARP forces,” said Angeles.

In the statement, the Catholic bishops, led by Jaro Archbishop and Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Angel Lagdameo, assailed Joint Resolution No. 19, saying it “was crafted not to extend the implementation of CARP for six months but to kill agrarian reform.”

The resolution extended CARP until June 30 but removed the compulsory acquisition mode of land distribution, considered the heart and soul of CARP.

“Joint Resolution No. 19 must be stricken down. It is clearly unconstitutional since the Constitution mandates that the State shall undertake the just distribution of all agricultural lands . . . not only those that will be covered under the voluntary schemes,” said the bishops’ statement.

The bishops further said that the resolution “effectively cancels the distribution of 64 percent of new lands which are set to be covered by CARP as well as halts the distribution of all lands that are being processed for distribution under the compulsory acquisition mode.”

They said that the resolution will encourage landowners to withdraw their landholdings currently under voluntary offer to sell (VOS) and voluntary land transfer (VLT) to avoid CARP coverage.

The bishops also assailed DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman for issuing DAR Memorandum No. 09-01804 last January 12 which ordered DAR officials to “defer the processing of compulsory acquisition, including landholdings already in the pipeline, and survey activities for lands under CA until further notice.”

They said that by issuing the memorandum, DAR “delivered the final blow on CARP.”

The bishops warned that the joint resolution and the DAR memorandum “could spark chaos in the countryside as the agrarian reform beneficiaries and landowners are bound to fight head on over the issue.”

“This early, the Joint Resolution No. 19 and Memorandum 09-01804 are already being used by landowners to block the distribution of all agricultural lands,” the statement said.

The bishops finally called on President Arroyo “to reiterate her support to CARP extension with reforms by re-issuing certification for [House Bill] 4077 and [Senate Bill] 2666 as urgent bills and by pro-actively campaigning for the immediate passage of the CARP extension with reforms law.”

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