THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), through its field office in Escalante City, has strengthened the Barangay Agrarian Reform Committee (Barc) by conducting reorientation, formation and election of the committee members recently.

Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Arren Mondejar, in a statement said, Barc organization is enabling and empowering the communities to participate actively in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp).

“It also considers gender equality and empowerment of rural women and other marginalized sectors of the community as well as the Indigenous Peoples (IPs),” Mondejar said.

The activity is anchored to Article XIII, Section 5 of the 1987 Constitution, as it is mandated that “the State shall recognize the rights of the farmers, farmworkers and the landowners, as well as cooperatives and other independent farmers’ organizations, to participate in the planning, organization, and management of the program,” she added.

The Barc reorganization in Barangay Libertad in Escalante City was also attended by the barangay officials led by chairman Neptali Narvasa.

Narvasa, in his message, said the barangay officials are always available to help the farmer-beneficiaries to perform their responsibilities.

DAR-Negros Occidental1 assured that the activity has complied with the minimum health protocols set by authorities in light of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) threat.

The DAR is the lead government agency that holds and implements comprehensive and genuine agrarian reform which actualizes equitable land distribution, ownership, agricultural productivity, and tenurial security for the tillers of the land towards the improvement of their quality of life, it added.