DAR Warns vs Illegal Land Conversions in Bikol

LEGAZPI CITY, July 9  - Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) field offices across the Bikol region have been alerted over the massive conversion of lands from agricultural uses to non-agricultural as a way for landowners to escape the coverage of the extended agrarian reform program.

"We are now in total war against this practice and those who will be proven committing offenses against the provisions of Republic Act 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) of 1988 that provides criminal liabilities for illegal land conversions will be prosecuted," DAR Regional Director Maria Celestina Tam warned on Friday.

Section 73 of the CARL provides that "the conversion by any landowner of his agricultural land into any non-agricultural use with intent to avoid the application of this Act to his landholdings and to dispossess his tenant farmers of the land tilled by them shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than one month to not more than three years or a fine of not less than P1,000.00 and not more than P15,000.00, or both, at the discretion of the court."

"Premature conversion of agricultural land is also prevented, and that the DAR will be looking into these cases more vigorously within the five year extension period of CARP," Tam said

She explained that premature conversion refers to the undertaking of any development activity, the result of which may change the physical characteristics of the agricultural land as would render it suitable for non-agricultural purposes without an approved Conversion Order from the DAR.

In Sorsogon, illegal and pre-mature land conversions have been also reported rampant particularly in the municipality of Irosin.

Irosin Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO) Renato Gacias in a report to Tam said, "ricelands along the highway particularly before the entrance of Irosin's town proper is one of the most beautiful local sceneries indicating fresh air, but, unfortunately there are landowners trying to convert the place into commercial use."

Gacias said conversion of irrigated riceland is non-negotiable and because Irosin serves as the rice granary of Sorsogon, it is important for the local government to be careful in issuing permits to develop these areas.

Conserving agricultural land is not a responsibility of the DAR alone but also of LGUs and other sectors concerned with agriculture, he said adding that development planners should be cautious in putting up any public works project or development at an agricultural land.

The DAR in Bikol is distributing within five years ending June 30, 2014 about 205,770 of agricultural land under Republic Act 9700 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with Reforms (CARPER) Law.

This area is part of the over one million hectares in the entire country that the DAR had to complete the Land Acquisition and Distribution (LAD) before the end of the five-year extension period granted last year by Congress to the implementation of the CARPER earmarked with P150 billion which the new administration of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino should provide.

The 205,770-hectare land covered by CARPER in Bicol is distributed among its six provinces with Camarines Sur having the biggest that is 69,974 has., followed by Masbate, 59,638 has.; Albay, 26,895 has.; Sorsogon, 23,065; Camarines Norte, 17,394 and Catanduanes, 8,804.

The types of lands covered whose LAD are divided into five phases in which phase one includes all private agricultural lands (PAL) with aggregate landholdings in excess of 50 has. that have already been subjected to a Notice of Coverage (NOC) issued on or before December 10, 2008.

Implementation of this phase started on July 1, 2009 and to end June 30, 2012, Tam said.