PRESS RELEASE

April 24, 2009

NEGROS FARMERS MARCH ANEW FOR CARP WITH COMPULSORY ACQUISITION

BACOLOD CITY—Some 200 farmers belonging to the peasant federation Task Force Mapalad have gathered at the public plaza here to call on Congress to extend the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) with the compulsory acquisition (CA) mode of land distribution intact.

TFM president Jose Rodito Angeles said Congress, particularly the House of Representatives, should stop pushing for charter change and focus instead on passing the bills on CARP extension with reforms.

“Farmers are totally dismayed that the administration congressmen are deeply preoccupied with pushing for charter change when the most urgent need at present for the millions of Filipino farmers is CARP extension,” Angeles said.

“There is a lot of time for charter change later. Meanwhile, time is running out for legislation of CARP extension,” he added.

CARP is due to expire on June 30 but Congress sessions will adjourn on June 5, leaving only a few weeks for Congress to act on pending CARP extension bills.

“If our congressmen have even just a little concern for the poor farmers, they should be working on the CARP extension legislation. But it seems the welfare of the farmers is the farthest thing on their mind,” said Pastor Emmanuel Alano, convener of the multi-sector group Negros CARP Reform Movement (NCRM).

Alano said that their group, composed of 12-member organizations, rejects any moves by House Speaker Prospero Nograles and other Malacañang allies in Congress to push for charter change.

“We are not opposed to charter change per se. We are opposed to charter change at present, while President Arroyo is still in power. If Nograles and Malacañang insist on charter change now, they may be inviting another people power uprising like the one at EDSA,” said Alano.

For his part, Angeles assailed a recent move by Nograles to introduce as a charter change measure House Bill No. 737, which allows 100 percent foreign ownership of Philippine lands.

“Nograles and Malacañang are thinking of offering lands to foreigners, but they wouldn’t give poor farmers the chance to have a land of their own,” said Angeles.

Angeles said that aside from opposing charter change, they will reject a version of CARP extension that does not include the compulsory mode of land acquisition and distribution.

He said they had received reports that Congress plans to pass a version of CARP without the CA or will just extend Joint Resolution No. 19, which extended CARP without the CA and the corresponding budget for it.