MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo batted anew for the extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), calling on Congress to work on the passage of the measure pending before the chamber.

At the centennial anniversary of the Philippine Free Press in Makati City Wednesday night, the President said the extension of CARP with reforms would bring about genuine agrarian reform and improve the lot of the country's farmers.

"Why is it propitious today, not only because of the intertwining of the mission of [Free Press founder] Teodoro Locsin Sr. and my father, but also because this year, the life of the CARP law will last in December, and once again I count on a Locsin in Congress and Locsin in the Free Press to champion its extension," she said.

"I hope that we can work together as your father and my father did with the extension of land reform with reforms that will really emancipate and empower the farmers to be agri-business persons," Arroyo said.

Arroyo in June this year certified as urgent the measure calling for another five years extension of the law.

The law expired in June 13 without Congress voting on its extension, but lawmakers passed a resolution declaring that the agrarian reform program would expire in December instead and that land distribution would continue.