Wednesday, June 10, 2009 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES [ BusinessWorld Online ]
A CONGRESSIONAL conference committee last night approved a new agrarian reform law with a P150-billion funding for land acquisition and distribution and farmer support services, paving the way for the consolidated bill’s ratification when Congress reconvenes on July 27.
The compromise version, which failed to be approved before plenary sessions ended on June 3, is a consolidation of Senate Bill 2666 and House Bill 4077 that sets a new five-year Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
The new program seeks to distribute 1.6 million hectares of land to 1.2 million farmer-beneficiaries, and creates a congressional oversight committee to monitor implementation.
To avoid a gap given the old law’s lapse on June 30, both panels have agreed to make the new law retroactive July 1, although a formal decision would still wait until Congress reconvenes.
"With this provision, the Department of Agrarian Reform can continue to complete the processes with respect to lands previously covered under the CARP in order to prevent a hiatus," Senator Gregorio B. Honasan II, chairman of the conference committee and principal author of the Senate version, said in a separate interview.
Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman (1st district), principal author of the House version, said the funding should be rounded off to P150 billion as farmer support services has increased to 40% from 25%.
"We want the appropriations to be rounded off to P150 billion," he told the bicameral panel yesterday. The House had proposed a budget of "at least P100 billion" at the close of session.
In response, Senator Richard J. Gordon, a member of the Senate panel, yesterday said they were amenable to a higher amount. The Senate has proposed P147 billion. "We are agreeable to any increase, and we are talking here only of an additional P3 billion. We would certainly agree to this," he said in a separate interview.
Aside from funding, other agreed provisions were prioritizing coverage based on land sizes, wherein the Senate proposal of a staggered or a phase-by-phase coverage was adopted instead of the House proposal seeking coverage of all agricultural lands; and prohibiting the conversion of irrigated and irrigable lands to assure sufficient food supply.
Mr. Lagman said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is expected to sign the bill into law either in late July or early August.
Congress earlier extended to 2008 the 10-year land reform law which was passed in June 1988 under the Aquino administration.
A joint resolution that extended the law to June 30, 2008 was passed by Congress in December last year to give time for the crafting of a new law. — Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez
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