thoughts on CARP

nature of the program

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program was designed to return the lands taken from the people by the oppressive tyrant landowners. Parcels of land from the haciendas were distributed to tenants who used to till the haciendas for the landowners to till on their own.

uh, wait - something's funny here.

The implementation posed various problems. Primarily, land alone would be more of a disaster than help to the new landowners without the capital for them to start on their own. Even though the land itself is the resource they need, they are still in need of money for seeds, fertilizers, tools, and other farming concerns.

Aside from that, tenants are incapable of managing the lands. Aside from not having resources to make the land grow, they have not been taught management for the land's productivity.Due to the absence of capital, the starting landowners have to borrow them.

Another negative effect is that lenders tend to abuse the new landowners for the capital lent to them to start on their own in the form of skyrocketing interest rates. Landowners resort to placing their lands on collaterals just to get money, resulting to the formation of workers' unions aiming to return the land to the owners for them to buy from the small landowners again, only to return after the specified period of time given the landowners to collect the finances needed.

Due to the mismanagement of the lands, lesser and lesser rice are being produced, resulting to deficiencies in the staple food product, and unfeasible prices of imported rice.

I say...

The CAR Program, in my opinion should be dismissed, for the reason that the aim of the program does not focus on the farmers but only to the satisfaction of the scrutinizing public to show that the people are sustained by the government in terms of livelihood by the allocation of land, but oblivious to everything else the people are in need of and the problems that come to pass.

If the people need anything, it will be direct help from the authorities, not more work to do with their limbs amputated, having no tools to do the extra jobs. If the government distributes something that requires giving out, it should be for the benefit of everybody and not for their self-image and the extremely precious public opinion.