12 Combined Graphs of Legal and Financial Support to DepEd

Graph constructed for the PNoy Presidency Assessment from available government data

pRogRAm bRiEf: CompREHEnSivE AgRARiAn REfoRm pRogRAm

Agrarian reform was one of the programs by the Aquino administration aimed at eradicating poverty. In fact, in the original results-based outcome framework for PNoy’s presidency, asset reform was included as an outcome indicator (refer back to Figure III.1), but which was later missing in the revised framework (Figure III.2). The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) continues to implement the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) pursuant to RA 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988, as amended by RA 9700. As claimed by DAR Sec. Delos Reyes in his year-end report presented to the UP Public Lecture Series in April 2016, CARP is both a social justice and a poverty alleviation program:

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) or Republic Act 6657 mandated the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as the government lead agency in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to broaden the land ownership base and provide the required resources and necessary support services to improve the socio-economic status of the agrarian reform beneficiaries. This makes CARP both a social justice and a poverty alleviation program. (Department of Agrarian Reform, 2016, p. 3)

From July 2010 to December 2015, DAR was able to distribute 611,598 hectares of land, of which 548,415 are categorized as CARP-able lands and the remaining 63,183 as non-CARP-able lands. This accomplishment represents 51.11% of the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) balance that was carried over to the Aquino administration in July 2010. It must be noted, however, that the beginning LAD balance has been adjusted due to inclusion of additional land holdings as well as adjustments in land areas, with a net increase of 50,422 hectares in CARP-able lands after adjustments while a net decrease of 18,430 hectares in non-CARP-able lands after adjustments.

DAR’s (2016) self-assessment also indicated that in over a five-and-a-half year period (2011-2016) DAR had completed the documentation and processing of 47,727 landholdings consisting of 601,267 hectares which resulted in the distribution of 534,182 hectares to 335,591 agrarian reform beneficiaries. Around 46% of the total accomplishment for the period consisted of private agricultural lands, while 54% consisted of non-PAL. LBP-compensable lands accounted for 29% of the total, and non-compensable lands contributed 71%.