By Genalyn Kabiling

More than a hundred Hacienda Luisita farmers received land titles from President Duterte covering 112 hectares of the Luisita estate during the 31^st anniversary celebration of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) Tuesday. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech after leading the Mindanao-wide turnover and distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) to the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) at the Davao City Recreation Center on August 2, 2019. RICHARD MADELO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO The President led the ceremonial distribution of the more than 47,000 certificate of land ownership awards (CLOA) covering 87,000 hectares of land. The latest batch of agrarian reform beneficiaries come from Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan) regions. The landmark comprehensive agrarian reform law was signed by the late former President Corazon C. Aquino in 1988. The law aims to grant landless farmers and farm workers ownership of around 7.8 million hectares of agricultural lands. But President Duterte lamented that while Aquino made land reform the centerpiece of her presidency, she excluded Hacienda Luisita, a move Duterte described as the “greatest aberration” of the agrarian reform program. In 2012, during the incumbency of then President Benigno S. Aquino III, the Supreme Court ordered the distribution of Hacienda Luisita's 4,915-hectare agricultural lands to the original 6,296 beneficiaries. Early this month, the President claimed that the deadly incident in Hacienda Luisita could have been avoided if Aquino did not exclude her family's vast sugar estate in the agrarian reform program. The President said Aquino was “in control of everything” and could have fully implemented the land reform program. Seven farmers were killed when government forces tried to disperse a protest action by plantation and milling workers seeking land reform at the Central Azucarera de Tarlac on November 16, 2004. Speaking at the CARP anniversary, Duterte said: “I’d like to state very clearly that I have nothing against the Aquino family – ‘yung dalawang presidente pati ang pamilya. I’d like to put it in record that for the first two Aquino presidents, sumuporta po kami, ang pamilya namin sa Davao, because we believed in Corazon Aquino and I happen also to just – the best that was available during at that time,” he said, referring to the late President Aquino and his son former President Benigno Aquino III. “‘Yung the greatest aberration sa land reform, was the Philippines was declared – the whole of the country as a land reform program area pero tinanggal nila ang Doña Luisita,” he added. Duterte also bewailed that violence erupted over land dispute amid the apparent flawed implementation of the land reform program. “Far and in between the years that it was fighting – I mean the tenants – marami ho ang namatay. A lot of people died, invested blood just to realize until late today ‘yung mga lupa na dapat sa kanila,” he said. Correct ‘historical distortion’ While the government is committed to ensure the equitable distribution of all agricultural lands, President Duterte urged the agrarian reform beneficiaries to practice sustainable farming to boost their production and promote agricultural growth. “As we highlight our accomplishments and milestones in implementing CARP, let us never lose sight of the primary aim of this program, which is to uphold the welfare of the landless farmers, promote social justice, and attain sound rural development through the equitable distribution of all agricultural lands across the country,” he added. “It is the ultimate aspiration of every farmer to own the lands they now till. Now, with these titles in their hands, I am confident that every beneficiary will be inspired to improve and increase their production through sustainable farming methods,” he said. “As we work together in improving the quality of life for our farmers, their families and communities, I am counting on all agrarian reform beneficiaries to support the growth and development of agricultural sector through responsible farming,” he added. He also pledged that the government would strive to ensure the full implementation of the agrarian reform program.  He renewed the government's resolve to correct the “historical distortion” brought about by the misallocation of lands that caused social injustice and the underperformance of the rural economy. “I assure you that this administration will endeavor to pursue the full implementation of CARP because it is only by empowering farmers can we achieve the sustained growth of our rural economies. This, in turn, would lead to inclusive progress for our nation,” he said. Duterte said he was “happy” to lead the distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) to the agrarian reform beneficiaries which he described as “the emancipation of our farmers by giving them actual ownership over the lands which they have been tilling for decades.”