DAR commits to continue dialogues on areas with land disputes

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has committed to continue dialogues with farmers regarding areas with land disputes, Secretary Conrado Estrella said on Thursday.

During the deliberations on DAR’s proposed budget for 2025 before the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas asked Estrella about the status of land disputes.

Brosas mentioned the following properties:

• Hacienda Roxas in Nasugbu, Batangas
• Lupang Tartaria in Silang, Cavite
• Araneta Land in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
• Lupang Ramos in Cavite
• Hacienda Luisita demolition

According to Agrarian Reform Undersecretary Napoleon Galit, the DAR has addressed the issues, noting that farmers have thanked the DAR for working out solutions to the land disputes.

“First, regarding that case in Barangay Tinang [in Tarlac], I will also link this to the Roxas case in Nasugbu because Barangay Tinang, based on our records Ma’am, all farmers have been thanking us because after several months of jostling on account of execution and implementation on these areas identified as awarded to them, opposing farmers’ groups hugged each other,” Galit said in Filipino.

“And I can guarantee you, Ma’am, that based on records regarding this case, because that case has been ongoing for 35 years and the DAR has failed to solve it, but in our case, the issue was resolved and the land was distributed. We did not stop with the issuance of titles, not including the installation,” he added.

READ: Hontiveros hits ‘workaround’ of land reform settlement

This can be confirmed with former DAR chief and Brosas’ fellow Makabayan Coalition member, former Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano, Galit said.

Regarding the Hacienda Roxas, Galit explained that the government had already lost in the cases but they still pursued an arrangement where farmers still got some win.

“(Hacienda) Roxas won in 1999, 2009, and 2018 at the Supreme Court. But our Secretary ordered us to look for ways, how to give our workers a part of the land there in Roxas?  We looked for a win-win solution, what happened was despite DAR lost in the cases, farmers lost at the Supreme Court, we were able to distribute half of the land,” he said.

“We were able to award around half of the land in Roxas and the other half was left with Roxas as our response to a peaceful resolution of the case,” he added.

But Brosas said that she visited Hacienda Roxas just recently, and farmers are complaining about being relocated to areas far from their daily activities, prompting her to suggest that DAR take a more serious approach to dialogues with farmers.

“Maybe we need further dialogue there, between farmers and DAR employees so that the department can better understand their situation. At Lupang Tartaria, I would ask for a commitment because [at] Hacienda Luisita, they were demolished by four o’clock in the morning last Aug. 12, 2024. We need to talk about these things,” she said.

“Third, for Lupang Tartaria, for the sake of 137 farmer-beneficiaries, we need to resolve this. I hope for a continuing dialogue, that’s our request. I wish that the Department of Agrarian Reform can give us that commitment, Mr. Chair, I need it today,” she added.

Estrella said the DAR will look into these issues.

“Because Congresswoman Arlene smiled throughout her interpellation, we commit to talk about all land disputes in the country,” he added.

READ: Day of the Landless: The failed promises of land reform in PH

Decreasing number of titles

Brosas also asked the DAR why the provision of titles to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) has seen a decreasing trend.

The decrease comes even as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 11593 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act of 2023, which condoned the P57.557 billion debt of 610,054 ARBs.

READ: New Agrarian Emancipation Act signed; P57.5-B debt of 610K farmers condoned

“We saw that with the ARBs, regarding the actual installation of the CARP (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program) awarded lands, the [number] of lands distributed decreased instead. In 2020 there were 22,969 ARBs, then in 2021, 50,172 ARBs.  But in 2022, there were only 26,138 ARBs,” Brosas said.

“June 2022 up to 2023, only 15,481 ARBs received titles. So Mr. Chair, why is it that the land distributed seems to dwindle?” she asked.

Estrella invited Brosas to their office to discuss the issue.

“Congresswoman Arlene Brosas, maybe we need to talk at the office of the Department of Agrarian Reform because the data that you mentioned, when bumped against ours, do not match as we have given so many titles. Land titles increase each year, but you are saying that the titles distributed decrease,” Estrella said.

“That’s why we are willing to sit down with you and we can reconcile our figures because it does not match with the many titles we have given through the years,” he added.