Duterte assures fair land reform program
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2019 09:17:22 +0000
President Duterte has vowed not to be “selective” in implementing the agrarian reform program in the country, saying he intends to distribute the lands to “everybody.”
The President said he has directed Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones to prioritize the distribution of idle public lands to land reform beneficiaries.
“I give lands to everybody. Hindi ako namimili and I don’t want to be selective about it. If a certain area is open for exploitation, it should be for all, not only for communists,” Duterte said during his visit to Albay last Friday. “I will not do you a favor at the expense of the other. Tabla lahat,” he added.
The President issued the remarks about the fair implementation of land reform program ahead of his visit to Maguindanao. Based on his tentative schedule, Duterte will lead on Monday the distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership award to land reform beneficiaries in Buluan.
Duterte, in his remarks in Albay, acknowledged that the communist struggle would “never end” until Filipinos are given their lands. But he insisted that there was no need to join the communist rebellion over land reform, citing his commitment to distribute lands to farmers.
“Kaya ngayon na Presidente na ako, that’s about 60,000 hectares all-in-all. Hindi mo naman kailangan mag-komunista but… P****** i**. Papel lang ‘yan,” he said. “I will just say to Castriciones, ‘Maghanap ka ng lupa. Unahin mo ‘yung sa gobyerno. Itapon mo na ‘yan’,” he said.
He admitted that it was prudent to give away the idle lands especially government lots that farmers could cultivate and reap the benefits. “There are just mountains there and plateaus that has served nothing for our country. Ibigay mo na. Ibigay mo na lahat ang lupa ng gobyerno. And if government wants to acquire land, then we will buy. But ngayon ibigay mo na,” he added. (Genalyn Kabiling)