Farmers stage lightning rally at Palace on Valentine's Day

MANILA, Philippines - Farmers belonging to peasant group Task Force Mapalad sneaked past security and managed to stage a lightning rally outside one of the gates of Malacañang on Tuesday morning.

The farmers who came from Negros, Batangas, Bukidnon and Davao are demanding that the Aquino administration hasten up the full implementation of the Republic Act 9700, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) law.

Timing it on Valentine's Day, the protesters carried heart-shaped placards with the words "CARPER completion, not termination" and "fighting corruption is good but don't forget poverty alleviation."

"Lupa, lupa, para sa magsasaka!" shouted the protesters, numbering to about twenty.

They then staged a lie-in protest in front of the Palace gates. The demonstration lasted for about 15 minutes until they were accosted by policemen and brought to the Manila Police District.

The farmers complained of the "slow" implementation of the law on agrarian reform resulting in a "backlog" in the lands yet to be acquired and distributed. They want to meet with the President in a dialogue to hear him speak out on the issue.

"Nasaan ang puso n'ya sa mga magsasaka sa araw na ito?" Task Force Mapalad president Jose Rodito Angeles told ABS-CBN News.

Task Force Mapalad said that for 2011, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) managed to distribute only 86,209 hectares or 41 percent, out of the total 210,323 hectares targeted for land distribution.

In Negros, they say, the figures are pegged at only 1,151 hectares of land distributed out of the targeted 23,323 for 2011, or 5 percent.

"Simple lang po ang panawagan namin kay Pangulong Aquino, na sana dapat ipamahagi na ang mga backlog lalong-lalo na sa Negros," Task Force Mapalad-Negros President Alberto Jayme told ABS-CBN News.

Aquino gov't on track - Lacierda

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the administration is on track in implementing agrarian reform.

"The issue of agrarian reform is a cause for concern for us and we are on track. We are implementing the CARPER. Ang sinabi po ng Task Force Mapalad ay hindi po kami on track or behind, that's not true. We have the figures to show that," he said.

"May proseso po ang pag-acquire po ng land at pag-identify po ng mga beneficiaries. It takes around 12 to 15 months but I can safely and confidently say to you that the implementation of the CARPER is on track and even ahead on the 2012 acquisition target," Lacierda said.

Figures from the Department of Agrarian Reform obtained by ABS-CBN show that 113,196 hectares of land have been distributed by the end of 2011 or 56.6 percent. The DAR said new rules are being drafted to speed up the process of acquiring and distributing land.

The agency also cited the allocation of funds in the 2012 budget for the acquisition and distribution of 240,247 hectares of land for 2012 and 111,111 hectares in the pipeline for 2013. Two billion pesos have been allocated for support services for 2011 and 2012, according to DAR.

Lacierda said DAR Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes is open to meeting with the farmers.