The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) yesterday said government’s plan to lease large areas to big corporations runs against the provisions of an executive order (EO) that mandates the turnover to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) unclassified public lands.
FFF said in a statement government should fully implement the Constitutional mandate to “apply the principles of agrarian reform in public lands” and to “undertake the just distribution of all agricultural lands” in the disposition of government-held or owned lands.
FFF made this reminder following announcement by the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National Defense (DND) and Justice (DOJ) to lease large areas under their jurisdiction.
Leonardo Montemayor, FFF chairman, said EO No. 75 issued by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019 requires all unclassified public lands and government-owned lands held by government instrumentalities that are suitable for agriculture but no longer “actually, directly and exclusively used or necessary for the purpose for which they have been reserved or acquired” to be turned over to the DAR for distribution to qualified beneficiaries.
Montemayor cited the DENR’s recent announcement to bid out as much as a million hectares of denuded forests to the private sector to restore these lands as investments and for carbon credits.
FFF said land within government reservations under the Philippine Army and the DOJ’s Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) are also being planned for conversion into large-scale plantations and other projects.
Montemayor cited the 46,000-hectare Kibaritan Military Reservation covering several municipalities in Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur which is being planned to be converted into a hybrid banana plantation.
Montemayor said indigenous and local farmers of food crops are being driven away from the area.
FFF said the BuCor and the Philippine Export Zone Authority have also recently announced plans to carve out at least 26,000 hectares out of the 38,000-hectare Iwahig penal colony in Palawan to become an economic zone.
