CEBU CITY – To emphasize the need of having the same interpretation and understanding on the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the newly signed Republic Act (RA) 9700, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER), the Region 7 office of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR 7) has recently re-oriented its officials on the implementation of the said law to fast track its services.

DAR7 Regional Director Rodolfo T. Inson explained that in order to improve the delivery of their services, DAR officers should have the common understanding, interpretation and implementation of the new provisions of the law.

“Since our time is limited, we have to fast track the implementation of the program within the extended time frame, which is five years,” he said.

Meanwhile, during the re-orientation seminar attended by some 79 regional and provincial staffs of Central Visayas at this city’s Sarrosa Hotel, DAR Undersecretary Jim Coleto discussed the general principles of the law to provide a wider insight.

Coleto stressed that RA 9700 provides the continuing acquisition and distribution of agricultural lands covered under CARP for a period of five years under the various phases.

He added that the simultaneous provision of support services and delivery of agrarian justice to agrarian reform beneficiaries are also covered by the said law provided that after June 30, 2009, the modes of acquisition will be limited to voluntary offer to sell (VOS) and compulsory acquisition (CA), while voluntary land transfer (VLT) will be allowed only for landholdings submitted for VLT as of June 30, 2009.

Coleto pointed out that the law also has the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agrarian Reform (COCAR) composed of members equally distributed between the House of Representatives and the Senate that will closely monitor the implementation of CARP to ensure the complete distribution of more than one million hectares of agricultural lands. The committee will report periodically to Congress.