81 bishops renew Church’s call for CARP

MANILA — In what is perhaps their biggest public appeal to date, 81 Catholic Church leaders have resounded their plea to the country’s chief executive and to Congress to give new life and glorious finish” to the 27-year-old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) by passing the twin measures House Bill 4296 and House Bill 4375 for the sake of Filipino farmers. Immediate passage In a recent two-page letter to President Benigno S. Aquino III (PNoy), the prelates led by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, call on members of Congress to immediately pass the two proposed laws… which are in various stages of consideration in the Senate and the House of Representatives.”HB 4296 seeks to renew the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)’s authority to issue notices of coverage and provide adequate funding for support services to agricultural landholdings that have not yet been placed under CARP, while HB 4375 aims to create an independent Agrarian Reform Commission to review the actual accomplishment of CARP and investigate circumventions and violations of the CARP Law with a view to cause these landholdings to be redistributed to qualified beneficiaries.Priority measureIn June 2014, President Aquino certified as urgent the passage of HB 4296. While the House has not yet passed the supposedly priority bill on third and final reading, eight months after the chief executive’s certification, the Senate had already done its part by passing the counterpart Senate Bill 2278.HB 4375, which is still pending at the House, lacks a counterpart measure at the Senate, and needs to be certified by the President as a priority measure.Disenfranchised farmers Not extending CARP and ensuring the gains of the program is tantamount to disenfranchising at least a million farmers of their right to own the land they till, equitably share in the fruits of their labor and find a path out of poverty,” the prelates stress in their letter. It also means the country’s failure to break up the unjust concentration of land ownership in a few and thereby not achieve inclusive growth,” they explain, asking the Filipino people’s representatives not to allow the agrarian reform program to die a quiet death” before its noble mission to finally emancipate and liberate our farmers is fully achieved.”The prelates lament about 708,000 hectares of agricultural landholdings have yet to awarded to CARP farmer-beneficiaries based on the Aug. 2014 data of DAR.Not under farmersAccording to them, roughly 1 million to 1.5 million hectares being claimed by the DAR as distributed are not under the control of farmer-beneficiaries and are suspect as evasions of the law such as lands under collective CLOA (certificate of landownership award) and long-term leaseback agreements and lands distributed as VLTs (voluntary land transfers) and VOS (voluntary offer to sell).” Unless these transactions are voided and the land distributed to legitimate farmer-beneficiaries, the landowners and the DAR personnel complicit in the evasions will be rewarded for defying the law,” the prelates say.Unfair It would also be unfair to the landowners who allowed their lands to be really distributed to poor tillers, with some of these landowners still to be compensated,” they add.The signatories, composed of a cardinal,14 archbishops, 59 bishops, and seven Church administrators,of the Jan. 19, 2015 letter to Aquino areand1. Most Rev. Jose F. Advincula Jr, DD, Archbishop of Capiz and CBCP Permanent Council West Visayas Representative2. Most Rev. Paciano B. Aniceto, DD, Archbishop Emeritus of San Fernando, Pampanga3. Most Rev. Ramon C. Arguelles, DD, Archbishop of Lipa4. Most Rev. Fernando Capalla, DD, Archbishop Emeritus of Davao5. Most Rev. Romulo T. dela Cruz, DD, Archbishop of Zamboanga6. Most Rev. Angel N. Lagdameo, DD, Archbishop of Jaro7. Most Rev. Florentino G. Lavarias, DD, Archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga8. Most Rev. Antonio J. Ledesma, DD, Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro9. Most Rev. Jose S. Palma, SJ, DD, Archbishop of Cebu10. Most Rev. Marlo M. Peralta, DD, Archbishop of Nueva Segovia11. Most Rev. Orlando B. Cardinal Quevedo, OMI, DD, Archbishop of Cotabato12. Most Rev. Rolando J. Tria Tirona, OCD, DD, Archbishop of Caceres13. Most Rev. Sergio L. Utleg, DD, Archbishop of Tuguegarao14. Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, DD, Archbishop of Davao, CBCP Vice President15. Most Rev. Socrates B. Villegas, DD, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, CBCP President16. Most Rev. Isabelo C. Abarquez, DD, Bishop Calbayog17. Most Rev. Narciso V. Abellana, MSC, DD, Bishop of Romblon18. Most Rev. Guillermo D. Afable, DD, Bishop of Digos19. Most Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza, DD, Bishop of San Carlos20. Most Rev. Benjamin J. Almoneda Jr., DD, Bishop Emeritus of Daet21. Most Rev. Ireneo A. Amantillo, DD, Bishop Emeritus of Tandag22. Most Rev. David William V. Antonio, DD, Auxiliary Bishop of Nueva Segovia23. Most Rev. Pedro D. Arigo, DD, Vicar Apostolic of Puerto Princesa24. Most Rev. Ricardo L. Baccay, DD, Auxiliary Bishop of Tuguegarao25. Most Rev. Filomeno G. Bactol, DD, Bishop of Naval26. Most Rev. Jose Colin M. Bagaforo, DD, Auxiliary Bishop of Cotabato27. Most Rev. Sofronio A. Bancud, Bishop of Cabanatuan, CBCP Permanent Council Central Luzon Representative28. Most Rev. Jose S. Bantolo, DD, Bishop of Masbate29. Most Rev. Arturo M. Bastes, SVD, DD, Bishop of Sorsogon30. Most Rev. Joel Z. Baylon, Bishop of Legazpi31. Most Rev. Rodolfo F. Beltran, DD, Bishop of San Fernando, La Union, CBCP Permanent Council North Mindanao Representative32. Most Rev. Patricio A. Buzon, SBD, DD, Bishop of Kabankalan33. Most Rev. Emmanuel T. Cabajar, C.SS.R.,DD, Bishop of Pagadian34. Jose A. Cabantan, DD, Bishop of Malaybalay, CBCP Permanent Council North Mindanao Representative35. Most Rev. Severo C. Caermare, DD, Bishop of Dipolog36. Rev. Warlito I. Cajindig, DD, Vicar Apostolic of Calapan37. Most Rev. Precioso D. Cantillas, SBD, DD, Bishop of Maasin38. Most Rev. Carlito J. Cenzon, CICM, DD, Bishop of Baguio39. Most Rev. Julito B. Cortes, DD, Bishop of Dumaguete40. Most Rev. Bernardino C. Cortez, DD, Bishop of Infanta, CBCP Permanent Council South East Luzon Representative41. Most Rev. Pablo Virgilo S. David, DD, Auxiliary Bishop of San Fernando, Pampanga42. Most Rev. Edwin A. dela Pena, MSP, DD, Bishop Prelate of Marawi43. Most Rev. Francisco M. de Leon, Auxiliary Bishop of Antipolo44. Manolo A. delos Santos, DD, Bishop of Virac45. Most Rev. Reynaldo G. Evangelista, DD, Bishop of San Pablo46. Most Rev. Buenaventura M. Famadico, DD, Bishop of San Pablo47. Most Rev. Elenito G. Galido, DD, Bishop of Iligan48. Most Rev. Leopoldo C. Jaucian, SVD, DD, Bishop of Bangued49. Most Rev. Jacinto A. Jose, DD, Bishop of Urdaneta50. Most Rev. Angelito R. Lampon, OMI, DD, Vicar Apostolic of Jolo, CBCP Permanent Council South Mindanao Representative51. Most Rev. Roberto C. Mallari, DD, Bishop of San Jose, Nueva Ecija52. Most Rev. Jose R. Manguiran, DD, Bishop Emeritus of Dipolog53. Most Rev. Wilfredo D. Manlapaz, DD, Bishop of Tagum54. Most Rev. Renato P. Mayugba, DD, Bishop of Laoag55. Most Rev. Joseph A. Nacua, OFMCAP, DD, Bishop of Iligan56. Most Rev. Vicente M. Navarra, DD, Bishop of Bacolod57. Most Rev. Nereo P. Odchimar, DD, Bishop of Tandag58. Most Rev. Honesto P. Ongtioco, DD, Bishop of Cubao59. Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD, Auxiliary Bishop of Manila60. Most Rev. Honesto Chaves Pacana, SJ, DD, Bishop Emeritus of Malaybalay61. Most Rev. Patrick Daniel Y. Parcon, DD, Bishop of Talibon62. Most Rev. Juan de Dios M. Pueblos, DD, Bishop of Butuan63. Most Rev. Lucilo Quiambao, DD, Bishop Emeritus of Legaspi64. Most Rev. Antonio R. Ranola, DD, Bishop Emeritus of Cebu65. Most Rev. Gabriel V. Reyes, DD, Bishop of Antipolo66. Most Rev. George B. Rimando, DD, Auxiliary Bishop of Davao67. Most Rev. Jose Corazon T. Tala-oc, DD, Bishop of Kalibo68. Most Rev. Antonio R. Tobias, DD, Bishop of Novaliches69. Most Rev. Julius S. Tonel, DD, Bishop of Ipil70. Most Rev. Emmanuel C. Trance, DD, Bishop of Catarman71. Most Rev. Leopoldo S. Tumulak, DD, military ordinary72. Most Rev. Crispin B. Varquez, DD, Bishop of Borongan, CBCP Permanent Council East Visayas Representative73. Most Rev. Mylo Hubert C. Vergara, DD, Bishop of Pasig74. Most Rev. Ramon B. Villena, DD, Bishop of Bayombong75. Rev. Edito S. Bano, Apostolic Administrator of Mati76. Rev. Elino S. Esplana, Administrator of Boac77. Rev. Carlito R. Garcia, Administrator of Kidapawan78. Rev. Msgr. Jose T. Lagdameo, HP, JCL, Administrator of Gumaca79. Rev. Daniel O. Presto, Administrator of Iba80. Rev. Rey Jose D. Ragudos, Administrator of Alaminos81. Rev. Joseph W. Requino, Vicar Apostolic of Bontoc-Lagawe(Raymond A. Sebastián/CBCP News)