Risa Hontiveros
—Senate Social Media Unit
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday raised the need to address alleged patterns of agrarian reform reversals and land reconsolidation that have affected Filipino farmers previously issued Certificate of Land Ownership Awards.
In a privilege speech delivered during Monday’s plenary session, Hontiveros said her office has received “alarming reports” from people’s organizations on the ground of what appears to be “a pattern of agrarian reform reversals and land reconsolidation.”
“Isang halimbawa itong kaso sa Pampanga, sa Barangay Anunas at Cuayan, 1998 at 1999 pa lang, panahon nina dating Presidente Ramos at dating Presidente Estrada noong nabigay ang kanilang mga Certificate of Land Ownership Award o CLOA. Sa mahabang panahon, maagap na nagbabayad ang mga magsasaka hanggang sa na fully paid po nila, at ang katibayan nito ay ang Certificate of Full Payment and Release of Estate Mortgage na issued po ng Land Bank of the Philippines,” said Hontiveros.
(An example of this case transpired in Pampanga, in Barangay Anunas and Cuayan. It was only 1998 and 1999, the time of former President Fidel Ramos and former President Joseph Estrada when their CLOA were given. For a long time, the farmers have been paying promptly until they are fully paid, and the proof of this is the Certificate of Full Payment and Release of Estate Mortgage issued by the Land Bank of the Philippines.)
But unbeknownst to these farmers, Hontiveros said the land they thought was theirs had been mortgaged.
“Now there is a notice of demolition and force is being used on the farmers to evict them from their land. I was very alarmed at the photos and videos I saw of the violence wrought against these farmers and residents of the area. There was one, who was carrying a weapon and stabbed one of the residents there who is a senior citizen,,” the opposition senator said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Apart from that in Pampanga, Hontiveros said the situation is not entirely different in Nasugbu, Batangas.
“Their CLOA was granted a long time ago, almost at the same time Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) was passed in 1988, and for a long time, in various ways, they tried to obstruct the proper implementation of the agrarian reform, including the filing of the application for conversion to Hacienda Palico and Banilad,” Hontiveros said.
“The DAR continued to cover the land, but the DAR did not properly follow the proper acquisition procedure. While the farmers continue to live on the land received under the periodic reform program. Because of the issues of mode of payment, the Supreme Court in 1999 ruled that the DAR issued CLOAs without just compensation to Roxas and Company, and nullified the acquisition proceedings over the 3 haciendas. The case was remanded to DAR for proper acquisition proceedings,” she added.
According to Hontiveros. There are “so many more ways” that CARP is being sought to be evaded. In the end, the opposition lawmaker said the Philippines cannot entirely blame these all to the Department of Agrarian Reform.
For Hontiveros, what’s clear is that the national government needs to address these patterns of injustice first.