Comprehensive Agrarian Reform (CARP)

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)

Republic Act 6657 It is the redistribution of public and private agricultural lands to farmers and farmworkers who are landless, irrespective of tenurial arrangement. CARPs vision is to have an equitable land ownership with empowered agrarian reform beneficiaries who can effectively manage their economic and social development to have a better quality of life.

Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)

Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is the lead implementing agency of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). It undertakes land tenure improvement, development of program beneficiaries, and agrarian justice delivery. Virgilio de los Reyes is the current secretary of DAR.

Coverage of CARP
Government owned lands devoted to or suitable for agriculture; Alienable and disposable lands of the public domain devoted to or suitable for agriculture; Public domain lands in excess of the specific limits as determined by Congress; and Private lands devoted to or suitable for agriculture regardless of the agricultural products raised or that can be raised thereon.

History of CARP
September 10, 1971 - The DAR was created under Republic Act No. 6389, when President Ferdinand E. Marcos signed it into law. The Act necessitated the establishment of a new selfcontained Department. August 8, 1963- replaced the former Land Authority that was created by virtue of R.A. No. 3844. In 1978, when the country adopted the parliamentary form of government, the DAR was renamed Ministry of Agrarian Reform. On July 26, 1987, the Department by virtue of Executive Order No. 129-A was organized structurally and functionally. This E.O. expanded the powers and operations of the Department.

History of CARP
September 27, 2004 - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Executive Order No. 364, and the Department of Agrarian Reform was renamed to Department of Land Reform. This E.O. also broadened the scope of the Department, making it responsible for all land reform in the country. It also placed the Philippine Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP) under its supervision and control. Recognition of the ownership of ancestral domain by indigenous peoples also became the responsibility of this new department, under the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). August 23, 2005 - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Executive Order No. 456 and renamed the Department of Land Reform back to Department of Agrarian Reform, since "the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law goes beyond just land reform but includes the totality of all factors and support services designed to lift the economic status of the beneficiaries."

CARP Today
At the present administration of President Benigno Simeon Noynoy Aquino III, the DAR which is the lead agency for CARP implementation is bent on sustaining the gains of agrarian reform through its three major components
Land Tenure Improvement (LTI), Program Beneficiaries Development (PBD) and Agrarian Justice Delivery (AJD).

Together with the efforts to fight graft and corruption by the President, it is imperative to have institutional reforms within DAR as a complement to the abovementioned DAR components as well as give credence, transparency and accountability at all sectors of the DAR bureaucracy.

Land Tenure Improvement

One of the major programs of CARP It seeks to hasten distribution of lands to landless farmers. Similarly, the Department offers Support Services to the beneficiaries such as:
infrastructure facilities, marketing assistance program, credit assistance program, and technical support programs.

Furthermore, the department seeks to facilitate, resolve cases and deliver Agrarian Justice.

Program Beneficiaries Development

The Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project III (ARISP III) is a 6-year development project of the Department of Agrarian Reform with the primary goal of reducing poverty by agri-enterprise development, food security and enhancement of economic activities for 136 ARCs throughout the country. The project involves provision of Rural Infrastructures such as irrigation facilities, farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, and rural water supply systems; Agrarian Information and Marketing Centers; Organizational/Institutional Development; and Agricultural & Agri-enterprise Development in the ARCs through appropriate training and capacity building approaches. Assisted by the Government of Japan/JICA.

Program Beneficiaries Development

Mindanao Sustainable Agrarian and Agriculture Development (MinSAAD) is an integrated, areabased approach to rural and agriculture development which will build on innovative approaches, effective strategies, best practices and lessons learned from other projects of DAR. It is funded by a bilateral loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and will be implemented by the DAR within five (5) years (effective dates July 2012-July 2016).

Agrarian Justice Delivery

One of the core programs of CARP Provides free legal assistance to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) involved.

Latest News on CARP

Last Monday, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) led by Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes started distributing true copies of their land to the farmworker-beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita. Almost 600 farmworker-beneficiaries in Barangay Pando were awarded their Certificate of Land Ownership, the land title given to agrarian reform beneficiaries. All in all there will be a total of 6,212 beneficiaries.