Saturday, March 15, 2008 Farmers hit lawmakers for sabotaging Carp extension By Edmund B. Sestoso
A FEDERATION of farmers groups in Negros Oriental slammed three lawmakers from Negros Occidental for requesting the House committee on agrarian reform to hold another hearing on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) extension in Bacolod City.
Eugene Quirante explained that the moves of Representatives Jeffrey Ferrer (Negros Occidental, 4th District), Alfredo Marañon III (Negros Occidental, 2nd District) and Ignacio Arroyo Jr. (Negros Occidental, 5th District) are absurd and are meant to derail the passage of the Carp extension with reforms.
"We view this last ditch efforts of contra-Carp extension solons as another way of sabotaging the completion of the report of the committee on agrarian reform," stressed Quirante.
He said the moves of the lawmakers serve to block the campaign for Carp extension with reforms because what they are doing is consequently delaying the legislative process of enacting a new Carp extension law that should be already in effect before June 30 of this year.
June 30 is the last day of the legal life of the existing Carp.
The request was filed after a House hearing on Carp for Negros Island was held in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental last week.
Angel Tormon, Negros Farmers Council media officer, also said there is no more need for another public hearing as the agrarian reform beneficiaries and the broad public stakeholders have overwhelmingly spoken in favor of Carp extension with reforms.
Quirante also said the feedbacks they have gathered from their allies and beneficiaries in Luzon and Mindanao is that they also overwhelmingly support Carp extension with reforms.
Quirante added there is no point in wasting taxpayers' money on another public hearing.
The NFC lead convener also finds Ferrer's reasoning that he has not ensured the attendance of his colleagues in the committee hearing as absurd and a lame excuse because the previous public hearings have affirmed the resounding approval for Carp extension with reforms.
The two leaders have also suspected they are not acting in the best interests of the farmers and for the general well being of the vast majority of Filipinos dependent on the land but in behalf of the vested and greedy interests of the landlords who want to see Carp killed.
Angel Tormon urged fellow farmers and groups in Negros Oriental to block moves and efforts to sabotage Carp.
Quirante also called on civil society groups to help in the campaign to extend Carp by writing to their respective solons in the province urging them to support the move.
