Duterte wants Congress to pass another land reform law

May 2, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he would ask Congress to pass another law for land reform.

This as Duterte said after cleaning up Boracay in Aklan, he would allow Congress to come up with a measure on how to use the island.

"(I'll have) to resume land reform because it is really needed," Duterte said in a speech during the land title distribution in Mulanay, Quezon.

He said he is willing to distribute to the people the government's land to make it productive.

"So it is not productive. It’s not being used for anything. Why do we not embark on another second phase of land reform? But I would need the cooperation of Congress. Without (the help) of Congress, it will be difficult for us," Duterte said.

The Comprehensive Land Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER), an extension of the 1988 CARP law, expired in 2014 with thousands of hectares of land still to be distributed to the farmer-beneficiaries.

Since its expiration, Congress has yet to pass a new law.

Duterte said it would also be up to Congress on what should be done with Boracay after its rehabilitation.

He said Boracay, a famous tourist destination for its white beach, is an agricultural and forested area.

"I am not in favor of converting it into a commercial (land)," he said.

But for some hotels in the island, he indicated that they could be maintained  as such.

"I’ll leave it to Congress maybe. I won't meddle. I'll just clean it up," he said.

Duterte has ordered a six-month closure of Boracay to tourists starting April 26 to pave way for its rehabilitation after he likened the island to a cesspool. Celerina Monte/DMS