NEGROS Occidental Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson is pushing for an audit of the lands that had already been given to beneficiaries in Negros.
“Let us do an audit on the lands that have been transferred to beneficiaries. Are they in a better position now than before? I'd like to see success stories rather than base the success of land reform on the numbers of hectare given to the beneficiaries. Success stories in terms of their lives are improved, their production is good, that's what I would like to see,” Lacson said.
Lacson made the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte said that he will put Negros Occidental under land reform.
“I think we need clarification if the President said that he will put Negros under land reform program because, through Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, we were already under land reform,” Lacson said.
“So did he mean that he will extend the program?... I understand there are many pending farmlands that had not been transferred to beneficiaries. I think we should just wait to clarify the matter,” he added.
In a related development, Wennie Sancho, secretary-general of General Alliance of Workers Association, questioned the sincerity of Duterte's statement.
Sancho said there should be a thorough review of the land reform program whether it has really benefitted the beneficiaries.
“The government should solve the problem brought about by feudalism through genuine land reform program,” Sancho said.