Let CARP expire

I agree with you Mr.Pandac.
This CARP is useless.
In this of time of global food crisis, we need mass production, we need yield in million tons of agricultural product and not only 20 cavans of rice.

This CARP program "Land for the Tillers of the Soil" a project of Marcos has been in existence for more than 20 years as we had studied in labor law then.
The project was to counter the peasant farmers from being exploited by the NPA and to protect them from land grabbing.
But for 20 years now, we still have the same problem, therefore this CARP is ineffective, the insurgency is there and more we have food shortages.
This CARP is the legal land grabbing from big time landowners.

The government should encourage more corporation to invest in agriculture.
We need mass production and not tingi,tingi.
Our farmers cannot produce the supply in demand with their limited resources.

Lastly, if the church thru the bishops who are in the forefront of this CARP, I suggest that they distribute their idle lands to farmers... to partially solve this CARP problem.

If these farmers activists are persistent on this CARP, I suggest them to diversify to carp fishing, at least there is no land problem for water is free.

What do you mean "excess labor can be utilized in other industries?" Most people here can't find jobs, unless youre considering robing and scavenging. There may be excess farm labor only because most arable land are owned by few. Let me tell you the government should help and encourage farming. Although it doesnt generate bigger taxes, it brings food on the table and keeps people from squatting in cities doing nothng.

Leo,
A good advise and I am all for it. A good experiment but it failed. It would be better to give away free home lots of their choice to all so everyone is happy even if he goes hungry always. This lot will not go to heirs but the government on his demise to prevent any land squabble.

Junk CARP AND implement genuine agrarian reform

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) never intended to distribute lands to the farmers but it served as an instrument of the landlords to keep and reconcentrate more lands. For 20 years, landless farmers are still landless and those who are cultivating vigorously are being displaced by the government and landlords to give way to land use conversions.

It is right to let CARP expire but it is very wrong to let the agriculture department do whatever it wants with Philippine agriculture. It is presently ridden with multi-billion and hundred-millions scam and government officials using the poor farmers for their graft and corruption. Genuine agrarian reform should be promoted and allowed to prosper, let the farmers decide on agriculture and develop the vast lands of the country. The government should primarily protect food security and not rely on outside sources being import-dependent and being export-oriented, planting on what the world market demands. Genuine agrarian reform would uplift the economic well-being of the farmers liberating them from poverty and their surplus income becoming the source of rural development, consequently towards urban and national development. The resources should be freed from the control of the landlords and compradors that deal with foreign agro-corporations. Land monopoly by the landlords should be abolished and landlessness should be resolved. It is a plague that kills the Filipino farmers since colonial times.

In Congress, the House Bill 3059 Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) and the House Bill 3958 Rice Development Act (RIDA) should be enacted so as the country could progress and food security protected.

Genuine agrarian reform is a keystone principle so as the Philippines could progress. It would serve as a fuel to the country's nationalist industrialization, sufficing the people's needs and giving employment opportunities. No country has developed without breaking land monopoly and liberating the farmers and agriculture. It is either through government programs or an inevitable revolution. Either way, it is the only path the Philippines could take to further development.

Roy Morilla
Public Information Officer
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines)

It really makes me nauseous to read about the different kind of abuses these government officials and their minions are doing to ordinary citizens. Graft and corruption, immorality, plunder, oppression, warlordism, you name it, they commit it - without any qualm, not even batting an eyelash, not even caring what the public would say or think about their malfeasance, misfeasance or heinous and dastardly acts. I have seen it all and have heard it all. What are they going to do to deodorize their reeking act? Pay off the victims? With how much and what? The amount is immaterial but surely with people’s money that this father and son have”earned” through questionable means. These politicians will not even have the humility to ask for forgiveness for the wrong that they have committed. In fact, they are going to file trumped up counter charges against the hapless victims. The victims were there enjoying their time, bonding time, on the green, when the Pangandamans et al. broke the rules golf courtesy. It is but natural for the father and son to complain. Arrogant as they are, they were slighted and beat the daylight our of the father and son while their armed minions trained their guns on the two. What a shame!!

Regarding Pangandaman the father's version that it was the father and son who mauled his son, the mayor, BOLAHIN MO pa kami.

Agree, the proponents of the CARP extension are the people benefitting for the legalized land-grabbing. Poor farmers are getting the land for a song and selling it fast back to the owners. Who ends up the loser, of course, the tax payers.

Abolish DAR and just let the DA do its job. Public Private partnership should be encouraged to optimize land productivity.

Leo, hats off to you. Now I believe that the Philippines have a a great future with thinking Filipinos like you. It may take a while for the Philippines to grow but with the advocacy and a few role model leaders in our local government. I think by 2010, we will be the number one destination for investors in the world.

Cory Aquino's "I'm Sorry" is the FINAL blow to the former president's credibility.

This is a reaction in "Barbarians in the Green".

If the incident happens in countries where the rule of law and morality is strictly followed, the Secretary and his Mayor son would have been sacked already.

I remember a story of an influencial man who is going to fly and was late in his schedule. Insisting to bypass the line forcing his way, the clerk instructed him to go to the end and follow the line on a first come first basis. Upset, he told the clerk, "do you not know me" (just like what that Mayor son said), and the clerk pick up the microphone of the Public Address system and announce - "Attention, attention, does anybody of you out there knows this guy here, seems that he do not know himself".

Filipinos, should learn now how not to vote on political dynasties.

And what the DAR secretary's been doing? brawling at the golf course!my goodness, the Philippine government these days are like the government of somalia!!!corrupt and all useless!!!wake up you sleeping filipinos!!!you are now being dragged underground by these corrupt and idiotic leaders of your country who pretend to be working for the government when they are in fact just sucking all the country's money.

This CARP is not the solution.
I work in a company for so many years but I did not ask for a share of the company.
What I always do is ask for salary increase, medical, health, life insurance, vacation, bonuses, benefits and many more.
That makes me happy and that makes my co workers happy.
You share the pie but you don't ask for company.
Just like in agriculture.
There are workers called farmers, they till the soil and harvest the products of labor.

The farmers should ask for better pay and more benefits.
Just like in the industrial sectors, farmers are workers.
In California, there are agri-companies and family land owners that own vast tract of lands for farming with hundreds workers.
Farm workers don't ask for land reform, farmers don't ask for land distribution, they ask for better pay, better housing, insurance and so on and so forth.
That gives dignity to fieldworkers, there is dignity in farm labor.

Industrial workers and agri workers are the same, so implement the same laws.
This CARP is not the solution.
It is the problem. It gives farmers idea that they should own the land they till... which is not right, depriving landowners their possession and ownership.

Better Pay, more benefits is the answer for better living for farmers and not CARP.

DAR Chief Pangandaman Sr. has recently been appointed as one of the peace negotiators for the Philippine government and MILF in Mindanao?...his action or in action of the Valley Golf incident in Antipolo City is totally unacceptable for a peace negotiator...You don't deserve to be in public office!

The actions of Mayor Nasser Pangandaman, Jr., Mayor of Masiu City, Lanao del Sur, and Secretary Nasser Pangandaman of the Department of Agrarian Reform were totally BS. May their souls rot in hell for what they did. Instead of being a role model to the people in the country, you beat up the people of your country. Truly the government of the Philippines is hopeless if corrupt politicians like these are running around the government. May justice be given to those who were injured and karma to the Pangandaman family, big time.

Let CARP survive! It is unfair to abolish CARP and let poverty and servitude prevails in eternal among our poor farmers.

YoU only has to visit the Haciendas in Bacolod to see what I mean. Sakadas live in squalor and in dire poverty.

Just because you are financially stable doesn't give you moral ground to kill the very essence of what land Reform means.

It is the very life and hope of our poor farmers; to call their farm their own.

Only in the Philippines will you see good laws blamed for bad implementation and corruption. Then try to solve it by making more complicated laws. haha.

Pardon me if i'm not optimistic with the 'new and improve' agrarian reform. It will be undermined by same pigs in the govt. which owns haciendas and acres of stagnant lands and hidden wealth.

I disagree with industrial farming which again will either be owned by few hacienderos and foreign investors. I don't want another meralco or shell like company that will monopolize our food. Not another foreign investor foot on our back. It's in their nature to profit big and control the supply. It will not solve hunger and poverty in the Philippines.

The freshest and cheapest produce are not magnolia and purefoods. They come from small farmers which you buy in wet markets.

this was an example of misuse of governments money to their own benefits, an example of barbaric attitude of government official. To GMA, please make an immediate investigation on the incident. this kind official does not deserve to have a position in the government.

Can someone advise the farmers who posted the petitiononline.com that their page was removed. They need to put their full name and not as anonymous to make this petition activated. We'd like to help in getting signatures for them.
Thanks!