DARPO Legal Clinic in Ugnayan Sa Barangay

BRGY. VILLAREY, Piat, Cagayan (North)-The Department of Agrarian Reform Provincial Office of Cagayan-Batanes through its Legal Assistance Division conducted a legal assistance clinic on March 21, 2014 at barangay Villarey, Piat, Cagayan upon the invitation of 1Lt Dennis D. Villanueva of the Philippine Army based in Masin, Alcala, Cagayan.

The purpose of the forum is to properly address some issues and concerns pertaining to the agrarian reform program, land tenure status of agrarian reform beneficiaries, agricultural leasehold relationships, agricultural insurance benefits, and other concerns from the farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries in the area.

The activity is a combined effort of the members of the Philippine Army, the local government unit of Piat, Cagayan (LGU-Piat), the barangay officials of at least three adjoining barangays, the farmers’ sector and other stakeholders.

            The forum started with a lecture-symposium on selected topics about the laws on agrarian reform, rights, duties and benefits of agrarian reform beneficiaries (also referred to as land transfer beneficiaries) and regular tenants/farm workers (non-land transfer beneficiaries), the latter being considered as prospective agrarian reform beneficiaries.

The participants were also encouraged to present their individual concerns in the ensuing one-on-one legal clinic conducted by the DAR legal officers and attorneys who were present for that purpose. Around fifty farmer-beneficiaries were counseled with various agrarian reform related problems, such as, determination of the prescribed lease rentals on tenanted agricultural lands, cases involving succession/land transfer transactions where the original agrarian reform beneficiary is already deceased, also, land survey issues over landholdings covered by Operation Land Transfer and CARP.

Some agrarian reform beneficiaries’ concern as to their actual tenural status were also confirmed during the dialogue and strengthened their rights of ownership over the landholdings awarded to them.  Other matters requiring more detailed consideration were scheduled for a conference at either the DAR Municipal Office or at the DAR Provincial Office, specifically, matters relating to survey activities.

The Legal Clinic has become a regular activity of the DARPO Cagayan-Batanes wherein the PARO (Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer), Virgilio M. Acasili has committed support and resources to the Legal Assistance Division headed by its Chief, Atty Fatima Yadao to extend legal services  even to the remote barangays in the province, with the main objective of bringing the services of the government closer to the people pursuant to the government’s thrust on inclusive growth. 
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DAR-Cagayan Valley turns over rehabilitated Garab CIS

The Department of Agrarian Reform Provincial Office-Cagayan (DARPO-Cagayan) recently turned over an irrigation project in Garab, Iguig, Cagayan a component barangay of the Eastern Iguig Agrarian Reform Community (Eastern Iguig ARC).

The Rehabilitation of Garab Communal Irrigation System (CIS) Project involves the restoration of the concrete hallow block (CHB) canal linings and canal structures.  It has an original length of 3,000 linear meters with a total project cost of Php7,948,900.17 funded under DAR-Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project Phase III (ARISP-Phase III). The project was started in July 12, 2013 and completed last November 16, 2013. The rehabilitation of the Garab communal irrigation system was implemented by the National Irrigation Administration.

Communal irrigation systems  are small-scale schemes and constructed with the participation of  the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) thru their Irrigators Association (IA). The operation and maintenance of CIS is turned over to IAs upon project completion subject to a cost recovery arrangement in order for the IA to be able to sustain the operation and maintenance of  the irrigation system.

The communal irrigation system will benefit the agrarian reform beneficiaries through increased rice production in the barangays covered by the project, that is, barangays Garab and Campo in the municipality of Iguig. Eastern Iguig ARC has a population of 2,485 consisting of 590 households. Around 465.2782 hectares of agricultural land have been redistributed to 378 agrarian reform beneficiaries in the ARC pursuant to Operation Land Transfer (PD No. 27) and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Historically, irrigation has been established as a major factor in increasing rice productivity in the Philippines. It raises the productivity of farmlands by providing sufficient water supply to raise the yield per hectare per crop. It also provides opportunities  for farmers to plant a second crop during the dry season when production is potentially higher.

Irrigation also makes  it possible to increase the yield by allowing the adoption of modem rice varieties and fertilizer use. As such, farmer-beneficiaries in the Eastern Iguig Agrarian Reform Community are expecting to harvest a minimum of two cropping seasons a year to doubling their traditional income.  /christiandsales

DAR-Cagayan Valley resumes radio program

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) regional office in Tuguegarao has resumed the early morning radio program for agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) after a brief absence from the airwaves. The Rang-Ay Ti Away radio program provides farmer-beneficiaries the latest news and information about what’s going on about the agrarian reform program. It is being broadcasted over PBS-Radyo ng Bayan’s DWPE in Tuguegarao at 5:00 A.M. to 5:30 A.M. co-anchored by Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO) Joselito Garcia and DAR Information Officer Ms. Luthgarda Sibbaluca. The radio program has a wide following among farmers as it has been on the air for a long period of time previously anchored by veteran broadcasters MARO Arthur Urata and CARPO Francisco Dela Cruz who have retired. Other DAR personnel have also briefly held the radio program and successfully sustained the information campaign on agrarian reform and rural community development.

A Radio program has a wide array of formats which can reach various listeners and can be complemented with a specific advertising message, in this case, information about agrarian reform.  In Cagayan provinces, many people listen to radio while going to and from work. Additionally, it is the main source of entertainment in far flung places where television reception is poor, people listen in the evening while relaxing or while waiting for dinner.

Radio also delivers your message to everyone quickly, that is, your message or advertisement can be heard immediately. Radio advertising is intrusive, that is, it interrupts on your listening, and your only choice is to listen or change the channel, or put the radio off. It also reaches a wider range of audience than television or the newspaper and can be targeted to specific consumer segments, in this case, the farmers and their households. Your ads/message can also be repeated often and will register in the minds of the listeners.

The Rang-Ay Ti Away radio program will feature agrarian reform activities throughout the Cagayan valley region such as regular information on DAR’s land acquisition and distribution, activities on support services delivery like infrastructure projects in agrarian reform areas, institutional development especially farmers’ cooperatives and other agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations, agrarian justice delivery, matters promoting gender and development and agrarian reform beneficiaries’ success stories, among many others.

A Research conducted in Europe disclosed that radio is chosen as a lifestyle support system, to help people feel better as they go about their daily lives. Additionally, Michael C. Keith, a professor at Boston College and a leading scholar in history and electronic media, disclosed that "Radio is like ice cream," he said, "You choose the station that tastes best to you - the flavor you like the best is going to give you enjoyment." /christiandsales

DAR and CSU train farmers to become businessmen

In preparation to the emergence of the One-ASEAN economy, the Department ofAgrarian Reform-Provincial Office of Cagayan-Batanes (DARPO Cagayan-Batanes) and the Cagayan State University (CSU) have entered into an agreement to provide business development extension services to members agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations on the province of Cagayan.

It is an undeniable fact that globalization and trade liberalization are already affecting the way local economies are performing. In these cut-throat business competition, victory shall be achieved only by those who are prepared to meet the challenges of open market competition.

Building social enterprises manned by agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) are now being undertaken by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) by strengthening the capabilities of peoples’ organizations, cooperatives and individual farmer-beneficiaries by transforming them from operators of partitioned cluster farms into united producers and managers of large production scale, plantation type farmer-entrepreneurs.

In order to make the once small farm tenants now small landowners-cultivators competitive,  the DAR has partnered with the Cagayan State University-College of Business Entrepreneurship and Accountancy (CSU-CBEA) to provide trainings and assistance in the preparation of financial statements, drafting of feasibility studies/business proposals and business management, among others, in favor of marginalized farmer-beneficiaries in agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations.

These activities will further improve the capabilities of these organizations and cooperatives to access loans from the Land Bank of the Philippines and other financing institutions to enable them to improve and expand their business operations to meet the demands of economies of scale.

The DAR-CSU/CBEA partnership to this effect was formalized through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) executed on January 28, 2014 by and between the DAR Regional Director, Atty. Marjorie P. Ayson; CSU President Romeo Quilang; and Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO) Virgilio M. Acasili. Other officials of the DAR, CSU, and the various ARBOs and cooperatives witnessed the MOA signing. /christiandsales

Eastern Iguig Agrarian Reform Community receives P3.7M PWS project

IGUIG, CAGAYAN - The residents of barangay Santa Barbara in Iguig town, province of Cagayan are the recipients of another major project, a Potable Water System (Level II) with a project cost of Php3,709,000.00 funded under the Department of Agrarian Reform –Infrastructure Support Project (DAR-ARISP).  

The completed Santa Barbara Potable Water System consists of an elevated steel tank with a capacity of 22 cu.m., 1.845 linear meters distribution lines and 150 linear meters depth (deep well), 7.5 horsepower submersible pump. It will serve around 1,458 people consisting of 216 households.

The project was turned-over last December 10, 2013 by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) represented by Atty. Marjorie P. Ayson in favor of the Local Government Unit of Iguig (LGU-Iguig) represented by Mayor Juditas L. Trinidad.

Potable water (or drinking water) is water that is safe enough to be consumed by humans or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. Previously, most of the residents of the Santa Barbara Agrarian Reform Community (Santa Barbara ARC) have inadequate access to potable water and are constrained to use sources of water that are often contaminated with disease-carrying organisms or have unacceptable levels of toxins which often cause acute and chronic illnesses and misery due to additional burden and additional expenses for medical services and medicines.

In the developing world such as the Philippines, deaths occur from diarrhea in children under 5 years old. This is aggravated by malnutrition which can decrease the children's resistance to infections, including water-related diarrheal diseases.The United Nations estimates that 6 to 8 million people worldwide die each year from water-related diseases

The provision of the Level PWS project is aimed at reducing water-borne diseases in the community, in addition to providing water for backyard livelihood opportunities such as vegetable production and other similar activities. /christiandsales

DAR-Cagayan Valley LTI Op Tool Workshop

TUGUEGARAO CITY, January 13, 2014-The Department of Agrarian Reform Regional Office 02 (DAR-R02) conducted today a two-day Land Acquisition and Distribution (LAD) claim folder back-tracking workshop using web-based Land Tenure Improvement Operational Tool (LTI Op Tool) system for high LAD provinces.

LTI OpTool is the new centralized repository of LTI data, which ultimately replaces LAD CARPER DB, CLOA-IS, as well as other LTI-related data sources. Changes to records here are reflected to all users (DARCO, DARRO, DARPO) instantly.

No consolidation necessary. LTI OpTool offers a more efficient approach to working with LTI data. Users can now collaborate on tasks, and closely monitor the progress of each task. This will contribute to creating valid and accurate data sources, which will ultimately improve the over-all efficiency of DAR operations.

Centralization of data translates to up-to-date reports. Report can be generated on a daily basis, reflecting the most recent updates to LTI data sources. Near real-time information will improve analysis and decision-making at the management level.

The workshop participants include personnel from DAR regional office 02, DAR municipal offices and DAR provincial offices, except Isabela province who will have a separate schedule. Resource persons  from DAR Central Office in Diliman, Quezon City facilitated the workshop. /cds

DARPO-Cagayan cancels Christmas party, donates rice instead.

TUGUEGARAO CITY - Instead of having the annual Department of Agrarian Reform Provincial Office (DARPO) Christmas Party, the DARPO-Cagayan employees cancelled their annual Christmas Party in sympathy with Typhooon Haiyan/Yolanda victims in central Visayas where some DAR employees themselves lost their lives. 

     The funds for the Christmas Party were then used to buy rice in 10-kilo bags and distributed the same to indigent families who were pre-identified by the barangay officials in Capatan, Tuguegarao City. Barangay Capatan is just adjacent to the Pinacanauan River, which frequently overflows during typhoons and ruins the crops and livelihood of farmers in the said barangay. 

     PARO II Virgilio Acasili led the distribution of the 120 bags of Sinandomeng rice to indigent residents in barangay Capatan on December 21, 2013. 

     This is in addition to the cash donations earlier given by DARPO-Cagayan employees to victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. 

More photos: https://www.facebook.com/amarophil.cagayan/media_set?set=a.552277304847483.1073741888.100001956556263&type=3

Read PIA-Region 02 Article/Story:http://r02.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=461387432874

   

DARPO-Cagayan conducts onsite hearings in Batanes

Batanes is an island province in the Cagayan Valley Region (Region 2) located on the northernmost part of the Philippines.  The municipalities of Batanes include: Basco (the capital), Itbayat, Ivana, Mahatao, Sabtang, and Uyugan. The three largest islands are Itbayat, Batan, and Sabtang. The northernmost is Mavudis Island. Almost half of Batanes are hills and mountains. Batan Island, with a land area of 35 km², is generally mountainous on the north and southeast. It has a basin in the interior. Itbayat Island, which has a total area of 95 km², slopes gradually to the west, being mountainous and hilly along its northern, eastern coast. As for Sabtang, mountains cover the central part of its 41 km² area, making the island slope outward to the coast. The province is hilly and mountainous, with only 1,631.50 hectares or 7.10% of its area level to undulating and 78.20% or 17,994.40 hectares varying in terms from rolling to steep and very steep. Forty two percent (42%) or 9,734.40 hectares are steep to very steep land. Because of the terrain of the province, drainage is good and prolonged flooding is non-existent. The main island of Batan has the largest share of level and nearly level lands, followed by Itbayat and Sabtang, respectively. Itbayat has gently rolling hills and nearly level areas on semi-plateaus surrounded by continuous massive cliffs rising from 20–70 meters above sea level, with no shorelines. Sabtang on the other hand, has its small flat areas spread sporadically on its coasts, while its interior is dominated by steep mountains and deep canyons. Batan Island and Sabtang have intermittent stretches of sandy beaches and rocky shorelines (source: www.wikipedia.com).

Sometime in October 2013, Atty. Ma. Fatima Yadao and her staff from the Legal Division of the Department of Agrarian Reform Provincial Office of Cagayan (DARPO-Cagayan) braved the unpredictable weather, and got on board a light aircraft from the Tuguegarao Airport and proceeded to Basco, Batanes to attend to the concerns of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and landowners concerning matters related to the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (R.A. 6657) as amended by R.A. 9700 (CARPER).  

The Legal Division provides agrarian legal assistance, which is comprised of resolution of agrarian law implementation (ALI) cases, ARB representation before judicial and quasi-judicial bodies, mediation and conciliation.

Also with them are DARAB Provincial Agrarian Reform Adjudicator (PARAD and OIC-RARAD) Atty. Elizabeth Binag and her staff who are to conduct hearings in Basco, Batanes. Both offices are concerned with the implementation of agrarian justice delivery which consists of adjudication of agrarian cases and provision of legal assistance. 
Because of the implementation of the DAR’s Rationallization Plan under Executive Order No. 366, the DARPO-Cagayan and DARPO-Batanes have been merged into one DAR provincial office with DARPO-Batanes being absorbed by DARPO-Cagayan under PARO Virgilio M. Acasili. As such, the services of the two DAR provincial offices are being managed by PARO Acasili as the provincial head of DARPO Cagayan-Batanes. 

Due to the high volume of cases needing immediate resolution (ALI and DARAB cases), hearings were conducted within the first two days of their arrival starting on the afternoon, the morning of their arrival was spent preparing the pleadings, notarization of documents through a deputized notary public in Basco, interviewing the party-litigants and their witness, etc. Around 14 DARAB cases were heard on the first day and about 15 cases were heard on the second day. Other cases involved the determination and declaration of the farmers’ status as bonafide Agrarian Reform Beneficiary (ARB) through the issuance of a Writ of Installation in favor of around 50 farmer-beneficiaries to erase any cloud of doubt as to their ownership of the awarded farm lands they are actually cultivating, as the same landholdings were previously the subject of legal controversies.

Aside from the hearings, the team also proceeded with posting of legal notices on the premises of the landholdings involved in the ALI and DARAB cases, ocular inspection of the landholdings under litigation, conduct of legal information, consultation and mediation conferences.

These kind of activities shall now be a regular part of the Legal Division’s and DARAB’s calendar of activities (in Batanes) for the coming years unless otherwise directed by the department’s policy rules and regulations.

Modernizing outlook: The DAR Legal Case Monitoring System (LCMS)

TUGUEGARAO CITY – The Department of Agrarian Reform Regional Office 02 (DAR-R02) through Regional Director Atty. Marjorie P. Ayson has directed all Legal Assistance Division and the DAR Adjudication Board (DARAB) personnel involved in the updating of data for the Legal Case Monitoring System (LCMS) to attend the conference-workshop on the system to familiarize themselves with the operations of the LCMS.

            The DARAB is the quasi-judicial body the DAR which has the power to hear, determine

questions of fact pursuant to Section 50 of RA 6657 as amended, and Supreme Court Administrative Circular No. 29-2002 which state that the DAR is vested with primary jurisdiction to determine and adjudicate agrarian reform matters and shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over all matters involving the implementation of agrarian reform, except those falling under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department ofEnvironment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The DAR, in a bid to hasten the resolution of agrarian reform cases, has installed a web-based system for monitoring and tracking agrarian related cases which will soon enable litigants to inquire about the status of their cases online.

Under the LCMS, agrarian-related cases filed at the DAR Adjudication Board (DARAB) or at the Legal Assistance Division in all DAR offices nationwide will be entered into the system.

The LCMS program provides the DAR personnel easy access to information on any agrarian reform case as the system enables them to efficiently keep track and to determine the status of legal cases. It also enables the DAR to more effectively deliver agrarian justice services to stakeholders.

The DAR management is confident that this modernization project will help the Department in achieving its targets especially those requiring the speedy resolution of cases affecting land acquisition and distribution. By:christiandsales

DAR, CSU and LGUs to prime up Cagayan agribiz through ARC clusters

TUGUEGARAO CITY. The Department of Agrarian Reform Provincial Office of Cagayan-Batanes (DARPO Cagayan-Batanes), in a meeting with the Cagayan State University, Tuguegarao campus, together with officials from the local government units of Tuguegarao, Iguig, Penablanca, Piat, Amulung, Solana, Tuao and Enrile held on November 15, 2013 disclosed a plan to create agrarian reform community clusters and that they have agreed and actually started to develop an integrated agribusiness plan to serve as a matrix of the rural enterprises to be undertaken in the ARC cluster.

An ARC cluster is composed of two or more agrarian reform communities (ARCs) who have banded together to share resources, to work together to attain economies of scale and to expand their business operations that will include other municipalities.

The ARC Cluster shall be promoted as the convergence point of all government program implemented by government agencies such that each program and project is complimentary and supportive to each other. The strategy shall adopt a more comprehensive and integrated approach to rural development through collaborative efforts by all stake holders and partners. The bottom line objective is to improve productivity and income of the farmers by focusing agribusiness development of agro-industrial crops and to create economies of scale and active, harmonious and peaceful communities. Another aim of this strategy is to widen the impact area that the ARC Program has started. It is intended to concretely operationalize partnership and convergence of development interventions in the rural areas not only in ARCs but to include the Non-ARC communities. 

The Program  shall adopt a more comprehensive approach which is multi-disciplinary in character, and would try to integrate the spatial and physical development with the economic, social and institutional aspects for a given geographic area.

The Cagayan South ARC Cluster will take the lead in the implementation of the plan. The Cagayan South ARC Cluster is composed of agrarian reform communities in Tuguegarao City and in the municipalities of Piat, Amulung (West), Solana, Tuao and Enrile. The cluster has been created under the industry-based category and will be a major player in the grains and sugarcane industry.

The World Bank shall compliment DAR’s efforts in priming up the agribusinesses of the ARC cluster through funding from the World Bank-GROWTH project. The parties have committed to work together to prepare and eventually submit an integrated agribusiness plan for the Cluster ARC.

The Cagayan State University (CSU) through its College of Business, Entrepreneurship and Accountancy shall undertake to equip the members and officers of the key agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs) with skills and capabilities to manage and operate the various agribusiness enterprises of their organizations. Photos by: Aldwin Addun