Senate approves CARP extension bill

06/02/2009

The Senate last night approved on third reading the proposed law that would give the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program (CARP) a new lease of life, at least for another five years, with a funding of P147 billion.

Twelve senators voted in favor of approving the bill, with only two abstaining – Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and
Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

The approval of the bill came just as Congress is about to go on another recess this week.

Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., one of the proponents of the CARP-extension law, lauded the leadership of the upper
chamber for steering the near approval into law of the bill.

The House of Representatives has yet to pass its own version of the measure.

“Getting 12 votes in the Senate is not an easy thing to do,” Pimentel said, adding he had doubts that the bill would be passed.

He called on his colleagues to urge their counterparts in the lower house to adopt in full the bill pending before them or as
proposed by the House’s leaders.

“That (House approval of its own version) will foreclose the need for (the calling of) a bicameral conference committee to
reconcile any conflicting provisions of the Senate and House versions,” Pimentel explained.

He said the final version of the CARP extension bill should be finalized and ratified by both chambers of Congress before it
goes on a sine die adjournment on Friday.

He stressed that time is of the essence as the enactment of the measure has long been awaited by more than a million
legitimate agrarian reform beneficiaries who will be entitled to a parcel of land under CARP.

“Otherwise, this may spell the death of the program considering that the six-month CARP extension granted earlier will
expire on June 30,” when Congress is on a month-long break, he pointed out.

Pimentel authored the CARP extension bill, which also aims to provide P147 billion and instituting reforms in the acquisition
and distribution of lands and strengthening support services.

Earlier in the day, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile vowed to approve the Senate version of the CARP extension bill.

”We will work on it. We will work overtime tonight (Monday night),” he told the media after the first adjudicatory hearing of
the Senate Committee of the Whole on the ethics complaint filed by Sen. Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal against
colleague Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr.

Enrile said the Senate had labeled as urgent the CARP extension bill as they hoped to approve it before Congress go on
recess.

Pimentel thanked Enrile for making the CARP extension bill an urgent measure.

”We are just doing our job,” Enrile responded.

Pimentel and Enrile had recently figured in a verbal tussle over the issue of the Senate Committee of the Whole taking up the
ethics complaint against Villar.

Angie M. Rosales, with PNA