QUEZON CITY -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) held its national conference for the Bicol and Visayas chairpersons of Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committees (PARCCOM) to discuss with them the new developments and latest policy issuances on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and discuss other matters involving the implementation of agrarian reform.

DAR Secretary  Bernie Cruz, through a virtual message, said this conference plays a vital role in strengthening PARCCOM, which is one of the DAR’s instruments in successfully implementing agrarian reform in the countryside.

“The PARCCOM is the partner of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC),   the highest policy-making body of the CARP,  at the provincial level. They are in charge of coordinating and monitoring the programs, activities and projects implemented at the field level,” Cruz said.

The  national conference is an annual event spearheaded by the PARC Secretariat to strengthen the 76 PARCCOMs nationwide. This event, a combination of face-to-face and virtual approach, would run from November 24-26, 2021, held in Iloilo City. 

Western Visayas Regional Director Shiela Enciso said this event would update PARCCOM chairpersons on the new policies and programs of the department and it would also serve as an avenue to address their issues and concerns in implementing CARP at the provincial level.

“There will be an open forum  and  sharing of PARCCOM’s best practices in resolving the problems they encountered in the past,” Enciso said.

PARC Secretariat OIC-Director Belle Estrada said that apart from discussing their accomplishment for the past year, they would also talk about their plan of action for the succeeding year.

“The PARCCOM should be updated on the latest developments so that their plan of actions would coincide on the latest programs such as House Bill No. 5507, instituting the 2nd phase of agrarian reform program, Project SPLIT(Support for Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling), Barangay Agrarian Reform Committee (BARC) reorganization and strengthening, among others,” Estrada said.

The PARCCOM’s Mindanao group was held last November 9-11, 2021, in General Santos City, while the Luzon group will be held in Cavite City from December 1-3, 2021. (DAR)