MANILA, Philippines—Advocates of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to “throw her political weight to reign in landlords” in Congress to urgently pass a bill that will extend the life of CARP.

In a press conference Friday, the Reform CARP Movement (RCM) said the passage of House Bill No. 4077 would help address countryside address and chronic food problems.

“The growing food crisis and increasing poverty needs a strategic response like a reformed CARP,” said Oca Castillo, member of a peasant group under RCM.

The group said Arroyo should urge Congress when she delivers her national address Monday to enact the measure, which seeks to extend the acquisition and distribution of agricultural lands for another five years, institute reforms and appropriate P100 billion for the program.

“Instead of resorting to band-aid solutions, Arroyo should throw her office's political weight to rein in landlords in Congress to enact the CARP extension with reform bill,” said Castillo.

RCM secretary Eugene Tecson said the deferment and non-extension of CARP have led to violence in some agricultural communities.

“There are cases of harassment in the Negros province because of the vacuum created by the non-passage of the bill that will extend CARP,” he said.

“There were farmers who were killed, allegedly by the NPA [New People’s Army rebels] but the important thing to note is that these farmers were claimants of agrarian reform,” said Tecson.

He said more than 1.9 million hectares of agricultural land were yet to be distributed, as he countered claims farmers would not be able to till the land without the landowners’ support.

“Several studies prove that land ownership gives greater incentives to farmers to boost agricultural output and income,” Tecson said.

He said what was needed was full government support when it came to providing incentives and livelihood programs to farmer-beneficiaries.

Akbayan Representative Rissa Hontiveros, one of the proponents of the bill, said she remained hopeful lawmakers would pass the measure.

“I am still hopeful,” she said, adding, “we had the number, 97 vs 82 based on straw voting, and we would maximize our mobilization to push for the passage of the bill.”