AN OFFICIAL of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental is urging lawmakers in the country to again authorize the agency to issue notices of coverage (NOCs) to hasten the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp).
DAR in Negros Occidental-South Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Teresita Mabunay said one of the challenges in Carp implementation is the erroneous NOCs.
Mabunay said they have target landholdings which were found to be erroneous.
"In this case, the agency has to stop. We cannot proceed with the coverage unless it will be corrected," she added.
Various groups have been campaigning for the extension of the issuance of NOCs as a measure to address land acquisition and distribution gap in the country, including Negros Occidental.
In June 2014, with the expiration of the Republic Act 9700, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (Carper) Law, the agency also stopped the mandate to issue NOCs.
Mabunay said they are appealing to the members of House of Representatives if they can pass a law extending the DAR's authority to issue NOCs.
She said this will enable other landholdings to be covered and those with erroneous NOCs to be covered again.
"Once there is a law that will authorize us to issue NOCs, we will re-issue notices for landholdings that are not yet covered and those with errors," the official added.
The DAR is currently marking the 31st year anniversary of Carp implementation.
President Rodrigo Duterte's directive is to hasten the implementation of the program up to 2022.
DAR-Negros Occidental II earlier reported that its target land registration this year is 5,112 hectares.
Of which, 1,160 hectares were already accomplished as of June 2019. These lands registered at the Register of Deeds are located from Bago City to Hinoba-an town.
In terms of land acquisition and distribution, it already distributed almost 627 hectares from this year's target of 2,347 hectares.
Since Carp was implemented in 1972, the agency has already distributed 117,000 hectares up to this month benefiting about 76,000 ARBs in the southern part of Negros Occidental.
It still has a total backlog of about 50,000 hectares including those with erroneous NOCs, it added.
Mabunay said the erroneous NOCs are result from "unintentional lapses and mistakes" of the agency's staff during a massive issuance before.
Mabunay added they already determined the landholdings with erroneous NOCs which they can already correct.
"As much as possible, we have to finish the processing of the coverage of the land up to the issuance of the certificate of land ownership award (Cloa)," she said, adding that "the DAR should be authorized to issue NOCs."