Senator Loren Legarda yesterday said she does not think that there is a need to renew the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program law, but simply to make funding support available to the existing agrarian reform beneficiaries.

At a press conference in Bacolod City yesterday, Legarda said the CARL expires next year and it should be reviewed because "off hand, it had not been successful."

There is a need to assess how much land was distributed and if the beneficiaries were emancipated from poverty, Legarda said.

We have to determine whether the beneficiaries have actually tilled, utilized and benefited from the land, sold their Certificates of Land Ownership Awards or abandoned their areas, she said.

After 20 years CARL has to be reviewed because, while there have been success stories, many of the beneficiaries have not really been empowered and their lives have not improved, Legarda said.

Whatever funding is available to provide help and support to the beneficiaries of the past 20 years must be used, the DAR should not distribute more land to the landless who cannot do anything with the land they acquire, she said.

Before embarking on another 20 year program of trying to renew CARL, I think we must take care first of the first 20 years, Legarda said.

So much violence has ensued, has divided so many sectors and pitted the rich against the poor, Legarda said.

The intention was good but the implementation seems to have been faulty and therefore there must be a comprehensive study and evaluation of the program, she said.

She also said landowners should be compensated for the land taken from them as there are complaints about the government's failure to pay in full for property it takes over.

Vice Governor Isidro Zayco said landowners are paid for 30 percent of their property on acquisition and the rest is done through bonds over a 10-year period.

PRESIDENT

Asked if she would run for president in 2010, Legarda said "If the others have declared that they are running for president well and good, but for me the best politics is performance."

"I'll continue going around the country listening to people and what they need and enacting laws that are beneficial to them," she said. "And if the people are happy with my performance they will ask that I run for president. I will not aspire for it as early as now, let the people want it," she said.

Legarda thanked the people of Negros Occidental for making her their number one senator.

I will work hard to prove to the people that I deserve the post, I will not let the people down.

OPPOSITION

Legarda said she will remain among the eight senators in the opposition in the Senate.

Three members of the opposition and two independents joined the majority coalition composed of nine administration senators because they voted for Senate President Manuel Villar, she said.

It is sad that the opposition did not stay together because we would have had the numbers for an opposition majority, she said.

"I was elected overwhelmingly as opposition and will continue to play my role as fiscalizer and watchdog of democracy," she said.

She said the opposition in the minority do not have a hand in the choice of the senate committee chairmanships as this will be determined by those in the administration coalition.

She said while she would like to see an opposition senator to head the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, its will be the senate president who will decide whom to give the post to. SONA

On the State of the Nation Address, Legarda said in the 56 minutes that President Gloria Arroyo spoke she would have wanted to see a clearer picture of her addressing the basic needs of the country's impoverished population, which included more than 20 million who live on P32 a day. On a scale of one to 10, she said she would give the President a score of six and that is already being charitable.

President Gloria Arroyo is a very hard working president but maybe the problems are just too overwhelming and tremendous, her speech lacked focus on basic needs, Legarda said.

HUMAN SECURITY ACT

Legarda also said that while the intentions behind the Human Security Act may be laudable, its implementation must be watched and monitored closely for any form of abuse.

We must make sure that this new law is not abused by the present administration and that it will not add to more harassment and violence against the political opposition, activists and other groups, she said.

While we are against terrorism, for the protection of the rights of the people we must not use new laws to terrorize innocent civilians, she added.

While the intentions behind the law may be laudable, the implementation must be watched and monitored closely to prevent abuse, Legarda said.

They can detain people for a few days without any charges, search homes without search warrants, phones can be tapped and bank accounts can be checked if one is perceived to be a terrorist, she added.*CPG

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