Ecowaste Coalition Supports Member’s Appeal to the Department of Agrarian Reform to Protect their Communal and Agricultural Land Against Illegal Conversion
The Samahan ng Mamamayan Para sa Kalikasan at Bayan (SAMAKA
Bayan), a group of concerned citizens from Carmona, Cavite and Ecowaste
Coalition, a public interest and advocacy network of more than 130 community,
church, school, environmental, and health groups envision a Zero Waste society
in the Philippines by pursuing sustainable solutions to waste, climate change,
and chemical issues facing the Philippines is appealing to the DAR authorities
to act on their motion for reconsideration and to investigate as well as release
a cease and desist order against the unacceptable reclassification and
conversion of their 200 hectares of communal agricultural land in Carmona,
Cavite which is under threat of illegal conversion and reclassification by their
Local Government Unit (LGU) and SMDC/SM Prime Holdings Inc.
According to the
group, the 200 hectares of communal agricultural land in Carmona, Cavite which
is being reclassified and converted to residential/commercial area is
non-negotiable for conversion under the Section 65 of Republic Act 6657 as
amended by Republic Act 9700 which prohibits the conversion of irrigated and
irrigable land. The said order of conversion is also a violation of the Section
2 and 4 of the DAR Administrative Order No. 1 series of 2002 that was amended by
DAR Administrative Order No. 3, series of 2021 that prohibits the conversion of
irrigable lands.
“The joint venture between the LGU of Carmona, Cavite and
SMDC/SM Prime Holdings to reclassify the 200 hectares of our agricultural land
is being done without the prior clearance from the Department of Agriculture
(DA) and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). No public hearing was also
conducted by the LGU to involve the general public that will be affected by this
unacceptable land reclassification that started in October 2021”, Ochie
Tolentino, President, SAMAKA Bayan.
In rebuttal to the claim of the Carmona LGU
that the 200 hectares of land can be subject to reclassification and conversion
because it is not an irrigated and irrigable land, Tolentino added that “The
Municipal Government of Carmona made false misrepresentations and fraud, when it
claimed that there is no water source for the irrigation systems within the 200
hectares of the communal and agricultural land. It is clear in the
certifications of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) signed by the
Regional Manager and its administrator that Barangay Maduya and Barangay Lantic
which are within the 200 hectares of land, are covered by the services of NIA”.
The 200 hectares of land that is being converted and reclassified is also
locally known to be part of the “Sorteo ng Bukid ng Bayan '' which is a harvest
fair and lottery festival celebrated every 3 years in the town of Carmona since
1861. The communal agricultural lands were offered to local farmers for
cultivation through a lottery. This makes the 200 hectares of agricultural land
to be considered to be part of an intangible cultural heritage under the Section
3 (x) of the National Culturage Act of 2009 or Republic Act 10066. As an
intangible cultural heritage, the land should not be destroyed for the benefit
of profit and select few.
“The DAR and the Carmona, Cavite LGU are yet to act
and respond to our countless efforts and appeal to protect the 200 hectares of
land against the ongoing reclassification and conversion. We already sent 3
motions for reconsideration to DAR dated June 5, 2023, July 26, 2023, and
October 3, 2023. It seems like our appeals fell on deaf ears”. Tolentino added.
Expressing their solidarity with the people of Carmona, Cavite as represented by
SAMAKA Bayan, the Ecowaste Coalition said: “We are in solidarity with SAMAKA
Bayan in their plight to protect their agricultural lands. As an organization
for the people and the planet, we stand united in upholding the rights of our
citizens and farmers, in their aspirations and protection of their agricultural
land and as they fight for the preservation of their cultural heritage. We would
also like to remind that as early as 2018, the Department of Agriculture (DA)
already appealed to end the indiscriminate illegal conversion of prime
agricultural lands in the country as the government is losing an estimated
50,000 hectares of land annually. We call on the DAR authorities for their
decisive action and to not let corporations continue to abuse what's left of
Mother Earth”. Ruzzel Morales, Senior Communications Officer, Ecowaste
Coalition.
Present during the event to manifest their support are members of
Partido Lakas ng Masa, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Concerned Citizens of
Silang, Cavite, Alyansa Tigil Mina, SANLAKAS, and Caritas Pilipinas.
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