New DAR chief pledges to provide social justice to farmers

FILE PHOTO: ABONO Party-list Rep. Conrado Estrella III. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines – Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella III has promised “to provide social justice” and “free farmers from the bondage of land.”

Estrella said this is one of the commitments of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with a focus on assisting local farmers.

“In terms of implementing the agrarian reform, we will fulfill the real mandate of the program, which is to provide social justice, to free the farmers from the bondage of land,” Estrella said during the turnover ceremony on Tuesday.

“His Excellency President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has given his commitment to support the department and the program to further improve the lives of the less-privileged farmers,” he added.

Aside from prioritizing farmers’ welfare, Estrella also vowed to look into possible medical and scholarship programs for DAR employees.

Estrella said he understands the employees’ situation, especially the crippling impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fuel price hikes.

“I always treat agrarian reform as my second home, and as such, I would like to tell everyone that we will be one family. If before I have looked into the welfare of my constituents in Pangasinan, now I will also attend to my constituents here at the department,” he said.

Meanwhile, DAR officer-in-charge Secretary David Erro revealed that the agency only has an annual budgetary allocation amounting to P700 million, which they use to help agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

“The new secretary will have to cover and distribute a total of 212,000 hectares of agricultural lands and look into a total of 400,000 hectares of problematic lands,” Erro said.

Former Acting DAR Secretary Bernie Cruz, who was also present during the ceremony, thanked the DAR officials and employees for the trust they had given him.

“The DAR is a family. We have experts here at the department, they just need a good leader and I know you can give it to them,” Cruz said, referring to new DAR chief Estrella.

The turnover ceremony happened after a celebratory Mass held at the DAR Central Office gymnasium in Quezon City.

Estrella previously served as a representative of the ABONO Party-list, which focuses on programs in the agriculture sector, at the House of Representatives. – Nicole Faye Agcaoili, INQUIRER.net intern

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