Noynoy told: Distribute Luisita, help save RP from climate change By Maritoni Molina, abs-cbnNews com Newsbreak Posted at 05/31/2010 4:13 AM | Updated as of 05/31/2010 4:32 AM MANILA, Philippines—In a country where old landed elites “merely retain their vast landholdings” without such development, redistribution of land rights to smaller entities who can “deal better with microclimates” may be the first step to helping the Philippines adapt to climate change. ‘This is the advice given by land and asset reform expert recently, calling on president-apparent Benigno ““Noynoy” Aquino III to consider agrarian reform that would cover his family’s vast landholdings and reshape existing government policies Climate change is said to speed up the melting of sea ice, thus causing a rise inthe sea level. This isa scenario that would harm the “livelihoods and survival of 70% of the country’s 1,500 seaside municipalities,” according 10 an expert, who spoke at a Conference organized by the Project Development Institute, a non-governmental ‘organization advocating agrarian reform, and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). To adapt to climate change, the government should first take measures to “reduce the vulnerability of both communities and production systems,” said James Putzel, director of the Crisis States Research Center atthe London School of Economics. ‘Such would mean the “distribution and redistribution of land rights” so as to boost land investments and developments, ““We have long known that small holders deal better with the microctimates that characterize farming ‘everywhere, and in conditions of capital scarcity they make better use of labor and land than do large farm “operators,” Putzel said. Aquino, son of the late President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, comes from the Cojuangco clan that has avoided for about 40 years putting their 6,000-plus-hectare Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac under the government’ agrarian reform program. “The President-elect could demonstrate that his government represents generational change by setting an ‘example and convincing his family to finally put the story of Hacienda Luisita behind them—change it from a story of land held in violation of successive legal efforts to redistribute it and from a story of successive protests lings to put down social mobilization, to a story of justice and forward looking development,” nly’s wealth depends on Noynoy presidency”) Undersecretary Narciso Nieto said the DAR is recasting its strategy on building agrarian reform communities to ‘meet the effecs of climate change, which will later be presented for adoption by the incoming government and the international community that provides development assistance for agrarian reform. (abs- ‘ebnNews.com/Newsbreak)