DAR denies lawmakers' list vs agrarian bill

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) denied on Monday that it made a list of lawmakers opposed to the passage of House Bill 4296 or the NOC (Notice of Coverage) Extension Bill on the basis of personal motives and interests.

 

DAR Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Luis Meinrado Pañgulayan, however, admitted that department's legislative liaison was directed to come up with an analysis on who among the members of Congress will oppose the bill.

 

He said this will help DAR draw up a roadmap in marshaling legislative support for the passage of the bill.

 

"The resulting list merely stated names of all the Members of the House of Representatives and their possible votes, nothing else. Contrary to reports, the list did not categorize the members into who are the most powerful, the richest, and the most radical," Pañgulayan said.

 

"We understand the legislative process and we recognize that the passage of any bill entail negotiations and discussions among the legislators and the stakeholders.  The possibility of the passage of H.B. No. 4296 will not boil down simply to the wealth or status of the Members of Congress," he added. 

 

He said that the list and analysis is tentative and will continuously adjust as the legislative process progress.

 

"Until Congress actually votes on this bill, there can be no official list of Members of Congress who are against the measure," Pañgulayan noted.

 

He said the analysis on the list will be "guiding tool" and not a "propaganda piece". He also denied releasing it to the members of the media.

 

"There was also no intention or directive to list down Representatives who are anti-CARP (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program)," Pañgulayan added. 

 

Meanwhile, the DAR estimated that around 695,000 hectares of agricultural land are still to be processed for acquisition and distribution.

 

Although most of these are already being processed, the DAR needs a law to acquire and distribute possibly 50,000 hectares of the 695,000.