MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Gregorio Honasan on Tuesday said Congress should not rush its passage of a bill to extend the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, saying it is not due to expire on June 10.

"There's no need to panic,? Honsan said. ?The last law extending the CARP deadline did not specify any date.?

He said the June 10 deadline was only ?mentioned because it would have been best if the new extension is passed before we go on recess sine die."

Honasan, who chairs the Senate committee on agrarian reform, also said both the Constitution and the General Appropriations Act cover CARP.

"We will not be negligent. We will continue pushing for it given the available time and based on complete data," he said.

The senator said he welcomes the President's certification as urgent of the new CARP extension bill.

"It is really an urgent matter,? he said, adding, ?but the [Upper] Chamber will not sacrifice the quality of our decision and our work for expediency.?

?We have to make an informed and intelligent decision because it will affect millions of lives, not only of farmer-beneficiaries, but of the agriculture sector," Honasan said.

Earlier Tuesday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo certified as urgent House Bill No. 4077, which extends CARP?s life for five more years.

He said that while he was ready to submit his committee report on the proposed CARP extension, he still needed the data required by other senators from the Department of Agrarian Reform.

Senator Rodolfo Biazon wanted an inventory of the lands distributed under the program, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. was asking for a list of beneficiaries and the amount paid to landowners, and Senator Joker Arroyo was seeking an overall impact assessment of the agrarian reform program.

Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile meanwhile wanted a halt on land acquisition and concentrate instead on support services like provision of irrigation.

Honasan said that his committee report discusses issues of oversight and adjudication, among others. "We should learn from the mistakes of the previous law," he said.