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June 11, 2008
Rejoinder to Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel
We denounce Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel's malicious and
irresponsible charge in a press release Tuesday that our organizations are
"in collusion with landlords" and are out to "maim, cripple or kill
'agrarian reform' in the country."
Hontiveros-Baraquel's accusation is farthest from the truth. It's a cheap
shot at progressive party list groups made to gain media mileage for the
extension of the bogus Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
If the Akbayan representative was referring to HB 4077, the bill extending
CARP as the agrarian reform that will be maimed, crippled or killed, then
she is terribly wrong. Agrarian reform died with the passage of CARP.
Let us remember what the original sponsor of House Bill 400, Rep.
Bonifacio Gillego, declared 20 years ago on the mangled and maimed CARP
bill that was enacted into law:
"Now the CARP has become a corpse, we, the defunct sponsors of House Bill
No. 400, are called upon to render our final function: to serve as
pallbearers in the funeral rites of the original House Bill No. 400. As
the principal sponsor of the deceased House Bill No. 400, my task is to
deliver a funeral oration on CARP."
Twenty years hence, this CARP, true to Rep. Gillego's indictment, has not
broken the prevalence of land monopoly in the country and emancipated the
peasantry, instead CARP has deceived and oppressed the peasants through
tokenism and reconcentration of land ownership.
HB
4077 does not address the fundamental defects of CARP. CARP and HB 4077
reject free land distribution to the tillers, maintain limited coverage
and worse, do not prohibit various schemes which landlords used to evade
land distribution. These schemes include the notorious land-use
conversion, various exemptions, stock distribution option, corporative
scheme, leasehold arrangement, and contract growing among others.
Akbayan's 'agrarian reform program' of peasants compensating the landlords
which have long exploited them and burdening them with amortization runs
contrary to the principle of social justice and emancipation of peasants.
In fact, thousands of emancipation patents and certificates of land
transfer were revoked because of poor peasants' failure to pay the
amortization.
Hontiveros saying that GARB is 'mere stewardship program' grossly distorts
the universally accepted concept of 'land to the tillers.' Akbayan's idea
of giving the land reform beneficiary the right to sell and transfer land
weakens the precept of land to the tiller. It will encourage farmers to
sell not to till the land.
Under GARB, the general means of redistribution is through State
expropriation of lands which will undergo due process. The farmers shall
receive the land free. The State will pay the landowners. Only if, the
land is sullied, meaning illegally acquired, will confiscation be in
order. It is absurd that Akbayan attacks GARB on this issue. Social
justice must prevail over dishonored property rights of the few.
Rep. SATUR C. OCAMPO Rep. TEDDY CASIŅO
Bayan Muna
Bayan Muna
Rep. RAFAEL MARIANO Rep. LUZ ILAGAN
ANAKPAWIS
Gabriela Women's Party
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