An Assessment of the Implementation of CARP from 1988-1999 and its impact on the Structure of Land Ownership in the Philippines

Abstract

As the poor farmers say, the only land they own is the soil upon their feet. Sad to hear, but reality bites. For centuries now, the peasants had been clamoring for a land to call their own. One they could call theirs and theirs alone. A failure from the start, the CARP has had a very colorful history of implementation, including multimillion valuations scams and number of efforts by the landlord-packed Congress to dampen its provisions down in favor of greedy landlords. They were never satisfied with the innumerable loopholes already built into the original law and under-the-table means of prevaricating it. CARP is actually a fraudulent land reform scheme meant to deceive the ill-fated farmers. Its only an innovative process of land reconcentration and monopolization of comprador landlords. In the name of agrarian development and industrialization, the government has gone aboard on a colossal land speculation and agricultural restructuring splurge, accompanied with CLOA, CLT, and EP cancellations. This has meant greater bondage to the landlords and much worse, displacement of peasants and farm workers from the land they virtually own. As one could notice, agrarian reform programs do not hold the interests of the less fortunate peasants, but rather of the landlords and capitalists. A genuine agrarian reform is all about advancing the welfare of the underprivileged farmers. It should also increase and strengthen cooperation in the ranks of organized peasants and farm workers. But above all, it should focus on annihilating land monopoly and exploitative relations, thus giving back the land to those who really cares for it.