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New DAR sec optimistic over NCIP-PCUP-DAR merger

Move perpetuates nat’l oppression, says CPA

BAGUIO CITY (Oct. 21) — Newly appointed Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Rene C. Villa this week discussed to DAR personnel in the region the recently signed Executive Order 364, transforming DAR into the Department of Land Reform (DLR).

He said this presidential order would “bring the Philippine Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) and the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) under the DLR”. He added that in 2008, DAR would be irrelevant when the targeted 835,000 hectares of land are distributed to tenants all over the country.

Even with the merger, he said NCIP would still maintain its independent quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative regulatory functions. The chairpersons of both NCIP and PCUP will become undersecretaries with the formation of the DLR.

Villa saw no problem with the NCIP’s issuance of Certificate of Ancestral Domain/Land Titles (CADT-CALT) and the DAR issuing Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOA) under the DLR.

“It will be much easier once we are under one roof,” Villa said, adding, “we can always talk about it.” He informed the media that he had an initial talk with the NCIP and would schedule another immediately after the NCIP conference on October 19.

Merger criticized

The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) however views the merger otherwise. The CPA assailed GMA’s Executive Order, as “it facilitates corporate interests in indigenous communities”. CPA added that the Order is even a move that perpetuates national oppression and development aggression in indigenous communities.

CPA Secretary-General Windel Bolinget explained that the Order, aside from being questionable, is a means by GMA to circumvent the IPRA law because they viewed it as an obstacle for the implementation of corporate projects such as mining and dams.

“These little concessions provided by the IPRA are obstacles against the revitalization of the mining industry which the government committed to pursue even violating the indigenous peoples’ rights,” he said.

He observed that even the NCIP chairmanship has been reorganized for the government’s “development project” as NCIP Chair Reuben Dalisay Lingating was unseated in favor of Malacañang-anointed NCIP Commissioner Corazon Espino, claimed by indigenous organizations as non-indigenous people.

Bolinget challenged Lingating to make a stand on the reorganization in favor of the IPs. Bolinget claimed that GMA ordered Lingating to shut-up and not to initiate case against the reorganization or better resign.

Bolinget claimed that the CPA join the people assailing the order but explained that it is not for the maintenance of the NCIP status quo. “Any beautifully worded law will not be implemented by a president subservient to imperialists’ interest,” he added.

The IPRA passage was lauded as landmark legislation. But its existence since 1997 it was characterized by lack of funding, graft and corruption, and internal bickering.

Funding considerations

The DAR is one of the richest departments, with the Marcos loot directed for its disposal by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL). This, Villa thinks, is the motive for President Macapagal-Arroyo for the merger. Executive Order 366 was also issued to wind up the operations of the three departments towards the merger.

NCIP’s strength lies in the granting of CADT and CALT over ancestral lands but insufficient government funding enabled it to process only 28 CADTs Villa said NCIP may now avail of the Marcos money now that it is a part of the DLR.

Earlier, there was a proposal to merge DAR, Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) but Villa said he strongly resisted because these offices have different functions.

Meanwhile, legal groups and people’s organizations in the Cordillera will file next week an injunction case to stop the implementation of EO 364.

Bolinget added that the move contributes to the immediate downfall of GMA as broad indigenous groups are resisting the new move.

Agrarian cases first

Meanwhile, Villa said that he will prioritize the resolution of agrarian cases.

He said that “litigants are left with no other recourse than to stage a rally in front of our offices”, saying that peasants hold rallies in front of the DAR offices mainly because of undistributed lands and unresolved agrarian cases.

“If we delay the (resolution of) cases, we open opportunities for graft and that adds to the cost of transaction”, Villa ended. # Arthur L. Allad-iw and Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

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