DOJ guidelines to fast track agrarian reform cases out

MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Alberto Agra has issued new guidelines that would speed up the investigation and referral of cases to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

The new guidelines, issued in line with Agra’s Rules Enhancement Program, aim to expedite the resolution of agrarian cases, which are frequently hampered by conflicts over jurisdiction and legal harassment of farmers, tenants and farm workers, as well as the filing of nuisance suits in regular courts.

Agra said he issued the circular containing the new guidelines “in order to achieve genuine agrarian justice” under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) being implemented by the government since 1988 and RA 9700 or the CARP Extension with Reforms (Carper) Law of 2009.

The secretary said his guidelines would hopefully help in resolving agrarian disputes filed with the National Prosecution Service.

The circular provides guidelines for referral of cases to the DAR when the case is agrarian in nature and one of the parties is a tenant, lessee, farmer-beneficiary, farmer, or farm worker; or the case pertains to the implementation or the Carper Law.

While the case is on referral with DAR, via its Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO), the investigating prosecutor shall defer further proceedings until the PARO decides if the case is “proper for trial” or not “proper for trial.”

The investigating prosecutor may also decide, on his own or upon motion by the parties, if the cases that are pending before him at the time of the effectivity of the circular should be referred to the DAR. –Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer