Manila (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Churches battle for the landless peasants in the Philippines, the pressure exerted by the prelates on the leadership of the country, have led to the extension of the law on land reform (CARP). So says Sister Julie G. Macasieb of the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence and social activist in an interview with AsiaNews.
On 7 August, the Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Act of the Republic 9700 - better known as the CARP - extending for the next five years the law on agrarian reform. It will enable millions of poor farmers in the country to use the land for their own needs and for the purposes of trade.
Sister Julie says that the possession of the land will give farmers a "sense of identity" as in the time of the Bible; the land question is, from time immemorial, the cause of "perennial conflict and discord." "The involvement of the Church for farmers’ cause was as a matter of social justice issue and part of social transformation” in the Philippines.
Without the pressure exerted by the bishops and Catholic activists “parliamentarians would have had no interest in extending CARP” confirms the nun, who adds that the bishops "will continue to monitor the way it is applied” to make sure there are no irregularities.
Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Filipino bishops' conference, confirmed the attention of the Church so that the "the 150 billion pesos [a little over two billion euros] are actually distributed to the intended beneficiaries”. The money will cover the purchase and distribution of land. According to the prelate, the legislation will ensure "a better quality of life for the poor".
The effects of the agrarian reform law - enacted in 1988 and renewed ten years later - ended in December 2008. The parliament voted to extend it until June 2009 (Resolution 19). The authors of CARP and farmers have however criticized the manner of the extension of the law, because it does not include a provision requiring authorities "to acquire and distribute private land" for the poor.
Resolution 19 provides for the implementation of CARP on land offered only on a voluntary basis by the owners, thus excluding "64% of agricultural land" and going to the benefit of large landowners. A directive labelled "unconstitutional" by the Philippine Bishops' Conference, which recalled that the State provides for "an equitable distribution of agricultural land." 
