Press Release
June 1, 2009

Transcript of the explanation of vote of the Majority Leader on CARP

We've already been land reformed. The land that we are now utilizing are leased. We lease it from farmer beneficiaries, so we are not skirting around the law Mr. President. I do not own more than five hectares of land but I have stayed, nevertheless because as a land owner I felt that whatever privileges this bill would give to beneficiaries I should not be voting in favor of. But nevertheless for this program to flourish we need to help one another.

Kailangan magtulungan po tayo. Sana binigyan natin ng limang taon ang DAR. Sana sa limang taon na po iyan mapapatupad nila ang kanilang promisiya (promise) na tutulungan nila ang mga benepisyaryo ng program ng agrarian reform. Huwag po sanang mapapabayaan ang ating mga magsasaka.

And umaapela din ako sa ating mga kaibigan na gumagamit pa rin ng exemption to the Agrarian Reform Law, even for example I reached out to our friends in the Church they also have land that they can give to the farmers. For example in Bukidnon, there's 2000 hectares of land owned by the Church leased now by DOLE or Del Monte. Share it. Share it to them, as we have asked ourselves with our properties. Charity should begin at home Mr. President and we should all look within ourselves and share it with our farmers whatever landholdings we have. That's the explanation of my vote.

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