Article 102Labor and Agrarian Laws and Social Legislation, p. 102

LABOR LAWS AND SOCIAL LEGISLATION SPECIAL LAWS AND IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS

including pilot projects and models related to agrarian

reform as developed by the DAR.

Section 36. Funding for Support Services . — In

order to cover the expenses and cost of support services,

at least forty percent (40%) of all appropriations for

agrarian reform during the five (5) year extension period

shall be immediately set aside and made available for this

purpose: Provided , That the DAR shall pursue integrated

land acquisition and distribution and support services

strategy requiring a plan to be developed parallel to the

land acquisition and distribution process. The planning

and implementation for land acquisition and distribution

shall be hand-in-hand with support services delivery:

Provided , further , That for the next five (5) years, as far as

practicable, a minimum of two (2) Agrarian Reform

Communities (ARCs) shall be established by the DAR, in

coordination

with

the

local

government

units,

non-governmental

organizations,

'community-based

cooperatives

and

people's

organizations

in

each

legislative

district

with

a

predominant

agricultural

population:

Provided , furthermore , That the areas in

which the ARCS are to be established shall have been

substantially covered under the provisions of this Act and

other agrarian or land reform laws: Provided , finally , That

a complementary support services delivery strategy for

existing agrarian reform beneficiaries that are not in

barangays within the ARCs shall be adopted by the DAR.

For this purpose, an Agrarian Reform Community is

composed and managed by agrarian reform beneficiaries

who shall be willing to be organized and to undertake the

integrated

development

of

an

area

and/or

their

organizations/ cooperatives. In each community, the DAR,

together

with

the

agencies

and

organizations

abovementioned, shall identify the farmers' association,

cooperative or their respective federations approved by

the farmers- beneficiaries that shall take the lead in the

agricultural development of the area. In addition, the

DAR,

in

close

coordination

with

the

congressional

oversight committee created herein, with due notice to

the concerned representative of the legislative district

prior to implementation shall be authorized to package

proposals and receive grants, aids and other forms of

financial assistance from any source.

Section

37.

Support

Services

for

the Agrarian

Reform

Beneficiaries .

-

The

State

shall

adopt

the

integrated policy of support services delivery to agrarian

reform

beneficiaries.

To

this

end,

the

DAR,

the

Department of Finance, and the Bangko Sentral ng

Pilipinas (BSP) shall institute reforms to liberalize access

to credit by agrarian reform beneficiaries. The PARC shall

ensure

that

support

services

for

agrarian

reform

beneficiaries are provided, such as:

(a) Land surveys and titling;

(b) Socialized terms on agricultural credit facilities;

Thirty percent (30%) of all appropriations for

support services referred to in Section 36 of

Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, shall be

immediately set aside and made available for

agricultural

credit

facilities:

Provided ,

That

one-third (1/3) of this segregated appropriation

shall be specifically allocated for subsidies to

support the initial capitalization for agricultural

production to new agrarian reform beneficiaries

upon the awarding of the emancipation patent or

the certificate of land ownership award and the

remaining two-thirds (2/3) shall be allocated to

provide access to socialized credit to existing

agrarian

reform

beneficiaries,

including

the

leaseholders: Provided , further , the LBP and other

concerned

government

financial

institutions,

accredited

savings

and

credit

cooperatives,

financial

service

cooperatives

and

accredited

cooperative

banks

shall

provide

the

delivery

system for disbursement of the above financial

assistance

to

individual

agrarian

reform

beneficiaries,

holders

of

collective

titles

and

cooperatives.

For this purpose, all financing institutions

may accept as collateral for loans the purchase

orders,

marketing

agreements

or

expected

harvests: Provided , That loans obtained shall be

used in the improvement or development of the

farm holding of the agrarian reform beneficiary or

the

establishment

of

facilities

which

shall

enhance production or marketing of agricultural

products of increase farm income therefrom:

Provided , further , That of the remaining seventy

percent (70%) for the support services, fifteen

percent (15%) shall be earmarked for farm inputs

as requested by the duly accredited agrarian

reform beneficiaries' organizations, such as, but

not limited to: (1) seeds, seedlings and/or planting

materials; (2) organic fertilizers; (3) pesticides;

(4)herbicides;

and

(5)

farm

animals,

implements/'machineries; and five percent (5%)

for

seminars,

trainings

and

the

like to help

empower agrarian reform beneficiaries.

(c) Extension services by way of planting, cropping,

production and post-harvest technology transfer, as well

as marketing and management assistance and support

to cooperatives and farmers' organizations;

(d) Infrastructure such as, but not limited to, access

trails, mini-dams, public utilities, marketing and storage

facilities;

(e) Research, production and use of organic fertilizers

and other local substances necessary in farming and

cultivation; and

(f) Direct and active DAR assistance in the education

and organization of actual and potential agrarian reform

beneficiaries, at the barangay, municipal, city, provincial,

and national levels, towards helping them understand

their

rights

and

responsibilities

as

owner-cultivators

developing

farm-

related

trust

relationships

among

themselves and their neighbors, and increasing farm

production and profitability with the ultimate end of

empowering

them

to

chart

their

own

destiny.

The

representatives of the agrarian reform beneficiaries to the

PARC shall be chosen from the 'nominees of the duly

accredited agrarian reform beneficiaries' organizations, or

in its absence, from organizations of actual and potential

agrarian

reform

beneficiaries

as

forwarded

to

and

processed by the PARC EXCOM.

The PARC shall formulate policies to ensure that

support services for agrarian reform beneficiaries shall be

provided at all stages of the program implementation

with the concurrence of the concerned agrarian reform

beneficiaries.

The

PARC

shall

likewise

adopt,

implement, and

monitor

policies

and

programs

to

ensure

the

fundamental equality of women and men in the agrarian

reform program as well as respect for the human rights,

social protection, and decent working conditions of both

paid and unpaid men and women farmer-beneficiaries.

The

Bagong

Kilusang

Kabuhayan sa Kaunlaran

(BKKK) Secretariat shall be transferred and attached t o

the LBP, for its supervision including all its applicable and

existing funds, personnel, properties, equipment and

records.

Misuse or diversion of the financial and support

services herein provided shall result in sanctions against

the beneficiary guilty thereof, including the forfeiture of

the land transferred to him/her or lesser sanctions as may

be provided by the PARC, without prejudice to criminal

prosecution.

Section 37-A. Equal Support Services for Rural

Women . - Support services shall be extended equally to

women and men agrarian reform beneficiaries.

The PARC shall ensure that these support services, as

provided for in this Act, integrate the specific needs and

well-being of women farmer- beneficiaries taking into

account

the

specific

requirements

of

female family

members of farmer- beneficiaries.

The PARC shall also ensure that rural women will be

able to participate in all community activities. To this

effect, rural women are entitled to self-organization in

order to obtain equal access to economic opportunities

and to have access to agricultural credit and loans,

marketing facilities and technology, and other support

services,

and

equal

treatment

in

land

reform

and

resettlement schemes.

© Compiled By RGL

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