The arrogance of agrarian officers

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

The comprehensive agrarian reform law was almost thrown into oblivion when both chambers in Congress didn’t act to extend it until vigilant farmers, supported by the clergy, vehemently protested. The compromise reached was a six-month extension.

There is undoubtedly strong resistance in congress against it, and evidently the reluctance to extend the law has something to do with the disappointing results, courtesy of the poor implementation of the law. The farmers are not better off today, the lands are unproductive and landowners are continuously harassed by agrarian officers who do not know any better.

A case in point is the small farm estate in Sta. Barbara of my late father. As its administrator, I had since agreed to enter into the tenancy-leasehold agreement with the tenants as provided by law. By signing it, I was assured that the land leased to the farmer would be nurtured to be productive.

Last year, I told the farm’s tenants that on the advice of a provincial agriculturist, tobacco should not be planted on a palay farm. I’ve been warned that the soil planted with tobacco becomes warm and will subsequently need more water to sustain palay planting. The situation is further aggravated if the land is only rain-fed. Apparently, studies show that cross-planting rice with tobacco would be disastrous for the rice land in the medium and long term. So I explained, and proposed to the tenants to plant vegetables between traditional rice planting season instead.

But with more profits to be made from tobacco, two of my tenants persisted on planting tobacco. When I stood my ground and refused to give them permission to plant tobacco, they turned to the municipal agrarian office in Sta. Barbara. And lo and behold, a Mr. Aquino, an agrarian officer in that office, told the tenants to go ahead and plant tobacco on the rice land without bothering to consult me, the landowner; nay, not even the municipal agriculturist who could give a professional opinion. Obviously, this agrarian officer already believes that under the agrarian law, it is he, and nobody else, not even the landowner, who has authority over the land.

Three weeks ago, I wrote the agrarian officer asking him to explain his action. It appears he does not think a landowner even deserves a response. I have not been favored with a formal reply to date.

With arrogant and ignorant agrarian officers like him in place, any agrarian law is doomed to fail. The provincial agrarian officer can do justice for the law by investigating the abuses being committed by his representatives in the field. Or is this a matter already for the Agrarian secretary to look into?

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PERYAHAN OR PERAHAN? Some barangay and town officials (including the police) are quietly earning from a well-camouflaged gambling racket right under the very noses of local governments.

The presence of the traditional perya (the local carnival) is the first sign that a town fiesta is about to or is being celebrated. People flock to the peryas nightly for the carnival rides and the parlor-gambling games ostensibly for entertainment. Each perya is organized and moves from one town to another following a schedule of fiestas around the regions. At least, that was how it used to be.

Today, the peryas are actually illegal gambling dens in disguise. These do not necessarily go where the fiestas are. They operate in towns and cities that are “hospitable” and “cooperative”. In Mangaldan, its perya has been in place beside the public market since last year and its fiesta is not till March 7-8! In Dagupan, the perya has been operating at the Mayombo district since October and continues to operate today when the city’s month long fiesta ended in December 31. Many other towns are similarly situated.

Mercifully, the unsafe perya rides are there for the “show” and hardly operate at nights. But the small “betting tables” are constantly crowded with gamblers (including minors), raking in every hard-earned peso from the community folk.

Who are behind these illegal gambling disguised as peryas? The barangay captains? The police chief? Some councilors? The mayor? There is clearly a violation of an ordinance but everyone is playing blind and mute.

Guv Spines can do our communities some good by ensuring that only legit peryas are allowed to operate in the province and strictly within the prescribed fiesta periods. If he can’t stop jueteng, certainly this is something he can do to help families survive the economic crisis.

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