CABANATUAN CITY – Local government and agrarian reform officials from Nueva Ecija are all upbeat about the prospect of having the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) extended.
Felipe Simon, agrarian reform officer (PARO) for North-Nueva Ecija, said they really need at least five years more to have the agency’s target of over 104,000 hectares for his area of responsibility (AOR) distributed to farmer-beneficiaries.
With about 90 percent of land distribution within his AOR duly released to former tenants, PARO North-Nueva Ecija still has some 5,000 hectares to process, Simon said.
For South-Nueva Ecija, another agrarian reform official said some 4,000 hectares have yet to be distributed. The office had nearly 100,000 hectares of agricultural lands from private owners and government’s disposable land for distribution.
Also pushing for CARP extension, Vice Gov. Edward Thomas Joson noted that the government has to go beyond land distribution to make farmers’ lives really decent.
“Kailangang magpatupad ng mga programang higit pa sa pagmamahagi ng lupa,” Joson stressed.
Having the initial stage of legislation, an extend CARP is expected to be tackled immediately when the Congress convenes next month. The House of Representatives and the Senate are currently on a recess.
Simon noted that Nueva Ecija congressmen, namely Reps. Eduardo Nonato Joson (1st district), Joseph Violago (2nd), Czarina Umali (3rd) and Rodolfo Antonino (4th) all voted for in favor of extending the agrarian reform program.
Simon said the extension of CARP would not only pave the way for more land distribution activities but to the implementation of livelihood projects under the Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) approach.
Nueva Ecija, the largest plain in Central Luzon, is dubbed as the nation’s rice bowl.
Felipe Simon, agrarian reform officer (PARO) for North-Nueva Ecija, said they really need at least five years more to have the agency’s target of over 104,000 hectares for his area of responsibility (AOR) distributed to farmer-beneficiaries.
With about 90 percent of land distribution within his AOR duly released to former tenants, PARO North-Nueva Ecija still has some 5,000 hectares to process, Simon said.
For South-Nueva Ecija, another agrarian reform official said some 4,000 hectares have yet to be distributed. The office had nearly 100,000 hectares of agricultural lands from private owners and government’s disposable land for distribution.
Also pushing for CARP extension, Vice Gov. Edward Thomas Joson noted that the government has to go beyond land distribution to make farmers’ lives really decent.
“Kailangang magpatupad ng mga programang higit pa sa pagmamahagi ng lupa,” Joson stressed.
Having the initial stage of legislation, an extend CARP is expected to be tackled immediately when the Congress convenes next month. The House of Representatives and the Senate are currently on a recess.
Simon noted that Nueva Ecija congressmen, namely Reps. Eduardo Nonato Joson (1st district), Joseph Violago (2nd), Czarina Umali (3rd) and Rodolfo Antonino (4th) all voted for in favor of extending the agrarian reform program.
Simon said the extension of CARP would not only pave the way for more land distribution activities but to the implementation of livelihood projects under the Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) approach.
Nueva Ecija, the largest plain in Central Luzon, is dubbed as the nation’s rice bowl.
