By Gail Momblan/ PNA
ILOILO CITY — The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Western Visayas eyes (DAR-6) to resolve 80 percent of the Agrarian Law Implementation cases by June 2019.
Western Visayas was the first region in the country to accept the challenge of DAR Secretary John R. Castriciones to achieve a zero backlog of resolutions to cases related to agrarian justice delivery, said Regional Director Stephen Leonidas on Thursday.
“It is also the compliance of the department with the directive of no other than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte that there must be no pending applications and cases,” Leonidas said in a phone interview.
The beginning balance, which serves as the bases of the department’s target, is assessed at the beginning of the year.
Beginning balance “are all actual cases received and resolved by end of 2018.”
For 2019, DAR-6 had a beginning balance of 1,463 cases including some leftover cases from last year.
Leonidas said that 496 cases were received by the department in January while 75 cases were received in February. Out of this number, Leonidas said 408 cases were already decided and signed.
“We have decided and signed 220 cases in January and 188 in February, so that is 408 cases decided in two months,” he said, adding the accomplishment translates to 28 percent.
Meanwhile, if the region will base its performance on the budgeted target of 1,095 on the national expenditure program (NEP) target, Leonidas said that that the department had achieved 37 percent.
NEP is the budgeted target under the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Leonidas said.
“Basing on the beginning balance and on the national expenditure program (NEP) target, either way, if we are to look at it because we still have the month of March, we will be one-fourth of our target that’s why I’m very optimistic that by first semester we are going to accomplish 80 percent,” he said.
Oftentimes, the pending cases were due to the lack of documentary requirements which other agencies like the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, National Irrigation Administration, among others, are involved in the issuance of the documents.
“We are the end point and we cannot approve applications unless and until the applicant has already completed beneficiary requirements which can be sourced out from other agencies,” he said.
To address this, Leonidas said the agency will prevent the clogging of cases by dismissing applications that lack documentary requirements.
This will urge the applicants to complete the documents before submitting.
“It will take time to wait for applicants to submit lacking requirements but we if we dismiss applications without prejudice, at least they will be urged to comply with these requirements,” he said.
The ALI cases include application for retention, exemption, conversion, petition for inclusion/exclusion, among others. Leonidas said these cases are filed by both big and small land owners and farmer-beneficiaries.
Leonidas is hopeful that other DAR regional offices can follow suit.
