THE House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the P11.101 billion budget of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and its attached agencies for next year.
House Committee on Appropriations vice chairperson Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr. (2nd District, Aklan), who sponsored the DAR budget, said that the approval of the proposed budget of the DAR will enable the agency to continue its highly successful and swift provision of land tenure security to landless Filipino farmers and legal intervention to agrarian reform beneficiaries.
“With the budget, the DAR can keep on robustly implementing, facilitating, and coordinating support services for our beloved farmers,” Haresco said.
Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas asked about Executive Order (EO) 75, s. 2019, which instructs all government agencies to identify, validate, segregate, transfer and distribute government-owned lands suitable for agriculture which are no longer used for the purpose for which they were reserved.
Haresco said the DAR is currently implementing the EO, particularly in Mindoro, Palawan and other parts of the country.
He said regular agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) are recipients of 5,808 hectares; rebel returnees with 329 hectares and graduates of agricultural courses with 136 hectares or a total of 6,723 hectares while at the national level CARPable total distributed is 8,542 hectares.
Haresco also explained that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Administrative Order (AO) 21 to ensure that government agencies coordinate in the identification of lands for distribution.
Aside from DAR, other members of the the coordinating council include the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture and the Land Registration Authority.
Senior Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Paul Daza commended the effective sponsorship of Haresco and likewise thanked DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III and other DAR officials for appearing before the House.
Thereafter, he moved that the House approve the proposed 2025 DAR budget.
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