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Republic of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources ‘Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City Tel Nos. 929-6626 to 29; 929-6633 to 35 929-7041 to 43; 929-6252; 929-1669 Website: http:/www.denr.gov.ph E-mail: web@denrgov.ph wD MEMORANDUM To + AllRegional Executive Directors Regions 1 to 13 and CAR, Except NCR The Acting Director Land Management Bureau FROM —:_—_The Assistant Secretary for Staff Bureaus SUBJECT : NEW POLICY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM (AR) ON DENR TURN-OVER OF PUBLIC LANDS FOR DISTRIBUTION UNDER CARP DATE DEC 1 8 2018 With the pronouncement of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte that all government lands suitable for agriculture should be released and distributed to the occupants‘tllers under CARP, DAR will now resume acceptance of tumed-over public lands from DENR for disposition «ster CARP. This was mentioned in DAR Secretary John R. Castriciones” letter to Secretary Roy A. Cimatu dated 07 September 2018, nullifying the instruction from former DAR Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes issued in September 2013 (copy attached). As mentioned, one of the cases of incomplete turn-over because of the issued policy from the former DAR Sceretary is the unsigned MOA by DENR Region 10 for the turn-over of a 103-hectare parcel of land located in Barangay Tumpagon, Cagayan de Oro City. Consistent with the provisions in Executive Order No. 229 dated July 22, 1987 entitled “Providing the mechanisms for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, the Department supports the pronouncement of the President. However, as mandated by law, DENR should still assert its jurisdiction over all alienable and disposable lands of the public domain as provided in Section 3 of the Public Land Act (Commonwealth Act number 141, as amended). Moreover, since the inception of the implementation of CARP various policies and issuances were issued by both agencies to harmonize its mandates, defining DAR and DENR {jurisdiction over all lands to cover for disposition under the Program. In Memorandum Circular No. 99-22, Series of 1999, entitled “DENR jurisdiction over all alienable and disposable lands of the public domain”, all REDs were directed to strictly exercise jurisdiction over lands of the public domain. Hence, DENR field offices are reminded to take due diligence on DAR’s new policy. In view of the foregoing, the Regional Executive Directors are hereby directed to disseminate the above policy for compliance in accordance with the existing laws, rules and regulations, particularly the Joint DAR-DENR Memorandum Circular no. 09, Series of 1995 (herein attached). — MEMO NO.2019-03 For information and appropriate action of all concemed. RICAI 7 “ones Copy furnished: ‘The Chief of staff and Undersecretary ‘The Undersecretary for Field Operations ‘The Acting Director, Land Management Bureau MEMO NO.2019-03 2aTH a8 84 7 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES one DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM Tunay na Pagbabago sa Repormang Agraryo 07 September 2018 HON. ROY A. CIMATU Secretary Department of Environment and Natural Visayas Ave., Diliman, Quezon City Dear Secretary Cimatu: ‘This pertains to the letter dated 13 September 2013 of former Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Virgilio R. De Los Reyes to Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), regarding the/turn-over of public lands for distribution to agrarian reform beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP),/In the said letter, the DAR requested the DENR to discontinue the turn-over of public lands, so that it could focus its resources to the distribution of private agricultural lands. In response to the said letter, the turn-over of public lands to DAR stopped immediately. However, there were cases where the turn-over documents had already been prepared but the documentation was discontinued due to the aforesaid order of stoppage. Additionally, our field offices have been receiving requests from occupants of public lands to have the latter’s lands titled by our office, The potential beneficiaries, who are expecting to receive titles to these lands, are clamoring for the continuation of the documentation process, Iwnich was suspended because of the said letter. A case in point is the 103-hectare parcel of land located in Barangay Tumpagon, Cagayan de Oro City. In the year 2016, its residents requested the Provincial Agrarian Reform Office (PARO) of Misamis Oriental through the Municipal Agrarian Reform Office of Cagayan de Oro City to include the land | they had occupied and cultivated for a long time under CARP coverage. The DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) concerned interposed no objections to the turn-over of the subject land to DAR, through Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), this is because our respective agencies have the same objective of aiding farmers in securing their tenurial status. ‘The PARO, acting on the agreement with the PENRO, started the documentation of the area leading to the eventual distribution of lands to the qualified applicants. Unfortunately, the Regional Executive Director was not able to sign the MOA because of the said letter. In the implementation of the CARP, the government shall give highest consideration in the welfare of the landless farmers and farmworkers to promote social justice. In order to achieve this, the security of the tenure of the landless farmers over the lands should be ensured through the issuance ENR = Cab ONAL CoORf FICE TELEFAX: (65D) 465.3008 3, Quezon City WEBSITE: www-dar.gov.ph oy. f ate TMB: pao

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