FARMERS’ groups are asking the government to impose a total ban on the conversion of all irrigated and irrigable lands to residential, commercial and industrial purposes.

Centro Saka Inc. (SCI), a farmer-based, policy research, nongovernment organization, called on the Arroyo administration to expand its policy proposal imposing a moratorium on the conversion of all agricultural lands into real-estate development purposes.

The group made the recommendation after Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman issued a memorandum imposing a moratorium on the processing and approval of land-use conversion in the central offices and regional offices of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

“If the Arroyo  administration is truly serious in protecting the country’s prime agricultural lands, they should not only provide a moratorium on land conversion, but consider the outright prohibition on the conversion of all irrigated and irrigable lands to residential, commercial and industrial purposes,” said CSI executive director Romeo Royandoyan.

CSI also recommended for DAR to review the status of all lands that have been exempted from CARP coverage by virtue of Department of Justice (DOJ) Opinion 44, Series of 1990.

DOJ Opinion 44 provides that all lands that have been reclassified as residential, commercial and industrial prior to June 15,1988, or the enactment of Republic Act 6657, or the comprehensive agrarian reform law, are exempted from CARP coverage. 

“If the review reveals that most of these lands have remained undeveloped and are still agricultural in nature, these lands should be immediately distributed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program [CARP],” said Royando-yan.

Lastly, CSI said that politicians who were in a position to stop land-use conversion of agricultural lands should also be held accountable.

“Real-estate developers are among the main culprits in the conversion of prime agricultural lands.  Sen. Manny Villar, whose family is in the real-estate business, should be asked about what he was able to do  to protect the prime agricultural sector from land conversion, especially during his term as chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food during the 13th Congress,” he said.

As of press time, Villar could not be reached for comment.

FARMERS’ groups are asking the government to impose a total ban on the conversion of all irrigated and irrigable lands to residential, commercial and industrial purposes.

DAVAO CITY—About 1.2 million hectares of land are still awaiting acquisition for distribution to 1 million farmers nationwide, many of them owned by corporations and powerful politically influential families, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said.

THE local jewelry industry has asked the government to start negotiating with Washington for the retention of the duty-free privilege given to Philippine jewelry exports under the US Generalized System of Preference (GSP).

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Key officials and private-sector players in the field of information and communications technology (ICT) in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga) have recently agreed to heighten promotion of the use of wireless technology as an innovative step in enhancing BIMP-Eaga’s relevance in the global market during the 3rd BIMP-Eaga Telecommunications Meeting held in Brunei.

WHAT about us?

This was the question posed by militant groups in the fishery and agriculture sector following reports that only 5 million of the close to 34 million workers, or 15 percent of the country’s labor force, will benefit from President Arroyo’s promised wage increase.

WITH the privatization of the Masinloc power plant, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the government will become more assured that its fiscal measures to help Filipinos cope with high commodity prices will be properly financed.