The call for an audit and evaluation of the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program by local chief executives in Negros Occidental got an initial boost after it was discovered that some beneficiaries had been granted by the Department of Agrarian Reform two or more Certificates of Land Ownership Award.

Records of DAR furnished to the Provincial Planning Development Office of Negros Occidental showed that 112,570 CLOAs were distributed to beneficiaries in 32 towns and cities of the province. With beneficiaries having more than two CLOAs with different serial numbers, the number of recipients is not equal to number of CLOAs given, to an initial study made by the provincial government of Negros Occidental, showed.

DAR records show that agrarian reform beneficiary Narciso Edmundo in Brgy. Marcelo, Calatrava alone has been granted with 10 CLOAs, while Dioseto Paller in Silay City got nine CLOAs.

Mayors of Negros Occidental expressed support for the move of Marañon to conduct and audit and evaluation of the implementation of CARP to determine whether it should be continued or not. Jose Maria Valencia, chief of staff of Gov. Marañon, yesterday said the result of the audit and review of CARP implementation will be submitted to Congress.

DAR records also indicated that other agrarian reform beneficiaries have two to five CLOAs. Bago topped the DAR list of having the most number of agrarian reform beneficiaries given CLOAs, at 13, 875, followed by Kabankalan with 9,788 and Himamaylan with 8,736.

The Diocese of Bacolod had earlier expressed support to the call for a review of the CARP implementation in Negros Occidental.*GPB

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