Forty-six years ago, a young lady clad in a red and white polka dots dress witnessed the historic signing of the first land reform code by her late father, President Diosdado Macapagal.

In pursuing her father’s legacy, that young lady, now the President, stood not as a witness Friday but the signatory of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) extension with Reform (CARPer) Bill, or Republic Act 9700, that seeks to increase the productivity and raise the living standards of the country’s farmers, whom she called agribusiness “entrepreneurs.”

“Agrarian reform must raise living standards. Ownership raises the farmer from his knees. His productivity will keep him on his feet. Kaya inaasahan na natin na itong Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program extension ay tutulong upang makamit ang ating layunin. Productivity will keep emancipated farmer on his feet and raise living standards,” President Arroyo said in an interview, shortly before the ceremonial signing of the agrarian reform law at the Don Jose Mariano Park in Plaridel, Bulacan witnessed by lawmakers from both the Senate and Congress and her Cabinet members.

The land reform law, the consolidated House Bill 4077 and Senate Bill 2666, extends the CARP for five more years and takes effect retroactively on July 1 this year.

In honor of the late President Corazon C. Aquino, the Senate ratified the CARP bill, which was given a funding of P150 billion until June 30, 2014, 40 percent of which will be channeled to fund support services to make lands more productive, while the rest goes to land acquisition and distribution.

The President also certified as urgent a bill being drafted by Agrarian and Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, which seeks to condone the P42-billion agrarian liabilities.

She said the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) is now studying how to cut or scrap the penalties and interest, partial or full.

 Apart from the penalties and interest, Mrs. Arroyo said the principal should also be condoned, which she said, needs a law to do so. “That is why Nasser is making the draft for submission to the Congress.”

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the bill is one of the proposed legislations of the President in her last State of the Nation Address (SoNA).

“The President is very committed to land reform. Kinukulit nya ang DAR to follow up yung condonation ng liabilities of agrarian reform beneficiaries para ma-emancipate ang mga agrarian reform beneficiaries,” he said in an interview after the signing.

He said Mrs. Arroyo is pursuing land reform, allowing farmers to use their lands as collateral as a mode of empowering them.

“Hindi sila mananatili na magsasaka lamang at hindi sila palagi na lamang maging dependent from government assistance and doleouts, but can become agribusiness entrepreneurs,” Remonde said.

The President also admitted that under the law, the functions of the Department of Agriculture and Department of Agrarian Reform have overlapped, but she explained that the DAR is now giving support services and not anymore responsible in the acquisition and distribution of land.

She said there should be no conflict between the land conversion and land reform, saying that her government will find solution to address the issue. “At the very minimum, pag may tenant ang sakahan, huwag i-convert. Pag-nadistribute na, pwedeng desisyunan ng magsasaka.”

During the watch of late President Corazon Aquino, the CARP, known as Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL), served as her government’s centerpiece program. It was first extended for 10 years in 1998 owing to more than a million hectares of mostly privately owned agricultural lands that remained undistributed, the DAR said.

Pangandaman said the DAR is facing a more daunting task of distributing more than a million hectares of farmlands within five years. Aside from Remonde and Pangandaman, among those who witnessed the signing were the law’s principal author, Sen. Gringo Honasan; Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agrarian Reform; Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, LBP former president; deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo, Bulacan Gov. Joselito Andrew Mendoza, and Plaridel Mayor Anastacia Vistan.

Meanwhile, Catholic Church leaders viewed the signing into law of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with extension and reforms (CARPer) bill Friday by President Arroyo as a “victory for landless farmers.”

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Public Affairs Committee Chairman and Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez said Friday’s signing is definitely a victory for the farmers especially to those who don’t have their own lands to till.

“We are thankful that President Arroyo finally signed the CARPer because this has been the farmers’ longtime dream. This is really for them,” he said over Church-run Radio Veritas 846 Friday.

But while his fellow prelate welcomed the signing into law of the bill, Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad stressed the importance of the government really implementing it.

“It’s a welcome development and a landmark law. I hope the implementers will really work hard to implement the law for all. There are no sacred cows to be spared, because the lands belong to many powerful politicians,” he said.