Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman last night called off the planned move to allow Task Force Mapalad beneficiaries to till more land starting today within the 53 hectares he installed them on in the controversial Hacienda Velez Malaga in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, DAR Regional Director Alexes Arsenal said.

Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela last night informed Pangandaman of what appeared to be a breakthrough in negotiations with the beneficiaries allied with landowner Roberto Cuenca. Coscolluela said he, along with Kabankalan Bishop Patricio Buzon, La Castellana Mayor Alberto Nicor Jr. and Fr. Rolex Nueva, had negotiated with the Cuenca group and they made a generous compromise that could be a breakthrough.

He and the members of the negotiating group will meet with TFM representatives Wednesday to discuss the proposed formula of the Cuenca group, Coscolluela said.

If we can agree on a workable formula, the problem at Malaga Cuenca could be solved and there would no longer be a security problem there, he said.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer Teresita Depeñoso yesterday said the DAR plan today was not to install new agrarian reform beneficiaries, but just to ensure that those installed by Pangandaman on March 22 can till about three more hectares of the 57 hectares of land already awarded to them. Depeñoso said the TFM farmers, so far, occupy 16 hectares.

She said the beneficiaries were taking over the land little by little according to the amount of funds they have available to do so. The DAR had sought the assistance of the police to ensure the safety of the agrarian reform beneficiaries. Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, Negros Occidental police director, said about 300 policemen, most of whom would come from the Regional Mobile Group, were being reading to assist the DAR activity today, which was called off.*CPG

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