DAVAO City — Several Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries in this region expressed dismay after Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) officials failed to meet their demand to release “long overdue” installation orders. Billy Cabintoy, ARB One Movement (AOM) secretary-general, said they were expecting DAR officials to heed their call since all legal requirements and processes have been done. What’s left is for the agency to enforce the program for agrarian reform. “There was a disagreement during the dialogue because we were expecting that DAR officials went here with the knowledge about our cases. The problem is they were still asking for the status and pertinent documents although these cases were filed in their office long time ago,” Cabintoy said. Cabintoy is one of the 256 ARBs under the Wadecor Employees Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association Inc. (Wearbai) which claim 170 hectares of banana area and at least 125 hectares of citrus land in Carmen, Davao del Norte in the area managed by the Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc (Tadeco). The company is owned by the Floirendos. According to Cabintoy, the land in Carmen was under Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) in 1988. But Tadeco filed a deferment period delaying the distribution process for 10 years. Ten years later, DAR issued a notice of coverage but the company created an employees’ cooperative that divides the farmer-beneficiaries. Cabintoy said some signed a contract with the cooperative and continued to work as a worker of the company, but others opted to join the association to claim their lands. In September 2008, Cabintoy said a Supreme Court order was released stating that the Carp coverage is for immediate implementation. However, 10 years have gone but no farmer benefited from the agrarian program. Since Sept. 27, hundreds of farmer-beneficiaries from different ARB organizations in the region picketed in front of DAR’s provincial office in Tagum City, asking the new DAR leadership to distribute lands to the ARBs.  (davaotoday.com)