The House of Representatives’ committee on agrarian reform has approved a substitute bill that prohibits the conversion of irrigated and irrigable lands for non-agricultural purposes.
Bohol Rep. Rene Relampagos, the panel chairperson, said the bill, which shall be submitted for plenary action, seeks to address threats to food security in the country by amending the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988 or Republic Act 6657.
The law was enacted to promote social justice, sound rural development and industrialization, and encourage land owners to cultivate economic-size farms as the basis of Philippine agriculture, Relampagos said.
Under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program or CARP backed by RA 6657, farmers are provided opportunity to own land they can till to improve their lot and provide adequate food for their fellow countrymen.
But the same law allows reclassification or conversion of agricultural land and its disposition if the land ceases to be economically feasible or fit for agricultural purposes, after five years lapses from the time of award, or if the area becomes more urbanized and thus more economically viable for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes.
The bill carries a penalty consisting of imprisonment of six years and one day to 12 years, and/or a fine of P200,000 to P1 million imposed against violators.
The bill also intends to curb corruption in the lower levels of government.
“Recognizing that elements within the government bureaucracy may contribute to unchecked conversions, the substitute bill lodges the exclusive power of land conversion to the Congress itself,” Relampagos said.
Changes to the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law introduced under the bill would also enhance the ability of relevant government agencies to review and assess the status of agricultural lands on a nationwide scale, providing enhanced opportunity to fine tune policies on agrarian reform and food security, he added.