Church leaders confident Aquino will keep word on land distribution

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma. cbcponline.net photo

MANILA, Philippines–Catholic church leaders on Friday expressed confidence that President Aquino will keep his word on the full implementation of agrarian reform but vowed to be vigilant with the farmers to make sure it will be completed by 2014 as promised.

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma said he believed that Mr. Aquino would deliver on his promises to the farmers especially now that a multi-sectoral monitoring body has been agreed to be set up to ensure the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program extension with reforms, or Carper.

“There has been an instruction to form a monitoring body but we will closely follow this to see if President Aquino’s promises will have results,” said Ledesma over Church-run Radio Veritas on Friday.

Ledesma was among the Church leaders present during the farmers’ dialogue with Mr. Aquino Thursday in Malacañang. He said the dialogue gave the farmers an opportunity to explain their plight to the President.

Among the things that were agreed upon during the dialogue was the creation of a multi-stakeholders mechanism that will monitor the implementation of the agrarian reform program, particularly the distribution of lands, the action of employees of the Department of Agrarian Reform, the allocation and use of budget allocated for the implementation of the law.

The body will be composed of representatives from farmer groups, Church leaders, non-government organizations, the Department of Agrarian Reform and other attached agencies involved with the implementation of Carper, said the prelate.

Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez also described as “very good” the actions of Mr. Aquino, who personally addressed for the first time concerns and woes of farmers and Church leaders advocating for agrarian reform.

“We are very happy about it and we hope that he is sincere,” said Gutierrez also over Radio Veritas. “Because if not, we will continue to badger him, we will monitor his promises and if he breaks them, we will keep on going back to him until the farmers are rewarded their lands,” added the prelate.

Fr. Anton Pascual, executive director of Caritas Manila, was also confident that the dialogue has removed an obstacle to the implementation of Carper, especially in the regional and local level, and said that the Catholic Church would strictly monitor the implementation of the program.

For a successful advocacy, a thanksgiving mass, officiated by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, will be held Saturday at Caritas Manila in Pandacan, said Pascual.

Following the mass, Caritas Manila will also provide farmers with canned goods and noodles they would take back home to their respective provinces, added the priest.