NW 411, House of Representatives
11 June 2009
Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman, principal author and sponsor of House Bill No. 4077 or the CARP Extension with Reforms bill, underscored that “the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) component of CARP, with compulsory acquisition as the dominant mode, is extended for five (5) years retroactive to 01 July 2009 up to 30 June 2014.”
He also stressed that funding support for CARP during the extended period is at least P150-B.
The Bicol solon explained that as part of the major reforms incorporated in the bill, support services have been increased from 25% to 40% of all appropriations for CARP broken down as follows:
(a) 30% of the 40% is allocated to liberalized and socialized rural credit facilities;(b) 15% to farm inputs as requested by agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs);
(c) 5% to training and seminars of ARBs to enhance their efficiency, productivity and empowerment; and
(d) The balance of 50% goes to traditional support services like farm-to-market roads, production and post-harvest facilities and sourcing for markets for ARBs’ products.
“Conversion of irrigated and irrigable lands is also prohibited in order to enhance food supply and security,” Lagman added.
Another significant reform is the scrapping of the voluntary land transfer (VLT) mode after 30 June 2009. The VLT, Lagman says, is “documented to have been used for simulated and flawed ‘coverage’ and must be abandoned.”
Effective 01 July 2009 the only modes of acquisition of the remaining private agricultural lands are (1) compulsory acquisition (CA) and (2) Voluntary Offer to Sell (VOS).
Lagman also added that two additional factors in the valuation of the covered landholdings have been included: (1) value of the standing crops at the time of coverage; and (2) 70% of the zonal valuation fixed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).