By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has distributed a total of 77,119 identification cards to facilitate the access of legitimate beneficiaries to the government's social amelioration program (SAP) and other financial and livelihood assistance.
Department of Agrarian Reform (MANILA BULLETIN)
"Our priority is to give IDs to the ARBs (agrarian reform beneficiaries) who for one reason or another have not yet fully availed of the opportunities and benefits under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). These ARB IDs would facilitate and help them get benefits from the government's SAP," DAR Secretary John Castriciones said.
The DAR is also continually assisting the ARBs in marketing and sale of their farm products.
As of April 24, it has assisted 673 agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs), generating a total gross sale of P152 million.
To ensure the delivery of farm products to critical areas affected by the enhanced community quarantine, the DAR has issued a total of 629 quarantine accreditation passes to ARBs, ARBOs, and agrarian reform communities.
Earlier, the executive committee of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) has affirmed the Land Bank of the Philippines' one-year moratorium for the payment of farmer's amortizations.
It also approved the one-year extension of the Credit Assistance Program for Program Beneficiaries Development, which provides continuous credit assistance and capacity development to ARBs and ARBOs nationwide until March 2021.
"We continually work with the Land Bank of the Philippines to think of ways and means to help farmers get access to credit and ease their burden of paying amortization especially on these difficult times," Castriciones said.
PARC is the highest policy-making body in implementing agrarian reform laws and dealing with issues under the coverage of the CARP.