By Fel V. Maragay

SENATOR Gregorio Honasan yesterday warned landowning congressmen against blocking the enactment of a new law that will extend the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program by at least five years.

The two chambers of Congress are scheduled to meet today to thresh out issues on the proposed extension even if there has been no clear commitment from the House for the reinstatement of the land acquisition and distribution provision of the new agrarian reform law.

Honasan, chairman of the Senate committee on agrarian reform, said the extension of the agrarian program is justified because there are still 1.6 million hectares of farm lands (out of the original 9 million hectares) that need to be parceled out and distributed to farmers.

The program will need at least P30 billion a year or P150 billion for the five-year extension period, Honasan said.

Honasan said there are lawmakers opposed to the extension of CARP to enable them and their patrons or allies to retain ownership of their landholdings.

“The enemy here is the vested interest groups,” he told the “Kapihan sa Senado.”

He said the senators had committed themselves to approving the amendments to the CARP law (Republic Act 6657) not later than June 10 when the 14th Congress adjourns during a meeting with Catholic bishops last Monday.

“We will fight for the approval of the Senate version of the measure because we have the full support of the Catholic bishops and the farmers,” Honasan said.

Honasan recalled that the Senate was ready to pass the bill reforming and extending the lifetime of CARP last December. But he said the Senate withheld the approval of the measure upon the request of the House of Representatives which said it needed more time to study and deliberate on the proposal.