Focus on the Global South - Philippines Programme

NGO airs concerns on land distribution

Monday, 12 September 2011 16:21 administrator

from Businessword Online

CONCERNS WERE raised on Friday on the ability of the state to meet its 2014 target of distributing lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Extension Program with Reforms (CARPER).
In a forum held on Friday, Mary Ann B. Manahan, research associate of the NGO Focus on the Global South Philippines said that it may be difficult for the government to meet its target of distributing 1.1 million hectares of land by 2014 given the lack of motivation of the employees of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as well as its lack of funds.

Ms. Manahan said the employees are not motivated to work on because they are concerned about what would happen to the agency after the June 2014 deadline to distribute the lands.

Some she said, are also concerned about having to face landlords for the acquisition of lands to be distributed.

She said the lack of budget also prevents the DAR from meeting its targets.

She noted that under the CARPER, the program should receive at least P30 billion per year for land acquisition and distribution and provision of support services for five years.

"Anything less than the actual mandated budget could undermine the completion of land redistribution by 2014 and puts to question the seriousness of support for the program," she said. -- Louella D. Desiderio

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