EFFORTS to fast track the delivery of agrarian justice has gathered some headways, following the 2019 National Quarterly Assessment and Monitoring and the cascading of agrarian reform laws and policies at the Garden Orchid Hotel in Zamboanga City.
Agrarian Reform Secretary John R. Castriciones said the speedy resolution of agrarian cases is his major concern as this would clear the way for the smooth and orderly implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Earlier, Castriciones ordered the legal department of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to come up with legal strategies that would hasten the resolution of cases under the agrarian legal implementation and agrarian legal assistance to ease the tensions between and among farmer-beneficiaries and landowners.
In line with this directive, the Bureau of Agrarian Legal Assistance (BALA) gathered the DAR’s legal staff in Mindanao to carry out the long-standing directive of Castriciones to attain zero backlog through the following courses of actions:
1. Formulation of catch-up plan if the particular regional and provincial Legal Office falls short of its projected goals;
2. Assessment of the individual performance of the legal officers through one-on-one evaluation and assessment to ensure the improvement in their output;
3. Ensuring that the regional and provincial indicative plans and budget proposals are consistent with the Department’s thrusts and priorities;
4. Preparation of Office/Individual Performance Commitment in line with the zero backlog directive of the Secretary;
5. Updating of the Legal Case Monitoring System in terms of capabilities and content;
Host DAR-Western Mindanao (Region 9), headed by regional director, Atty. Resty C. Osias, welcomed the participants from Northern Mindanao (Region 10), Davao Region (Region 11), Central Mindanao (Region 12) and the Bangsa Moro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
BALA Assistant Director Atty. Estrellita Briones discussed the rationale and objectives of the assessment. She was followed by Emmanuel Fallaria of Planning Service Division of DAR Central Office who talked on the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation System.
Atty. Enrique Sumogba, Chief of the Agrarian Beneficiaries Legal Assistance, tackled the Administrative Orders on referral of cases, while Atty. Reparado Galos, Chief of Cancellation Division of DAR Central Office discussed issues and concerns on the cancellation of cases.
Assistant Secretary Jim Coleto lectured on the Guidelines on the Parcellation of Landholdings with Collective Certificate of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs), under Administrative Order No. 2 Series of 2019. Land Use Cases was discussed by Atty. Jan Carlo Magracia of the Land Use Cases Division of BALA. DAR
