DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III vowed to be fair and fearless in deciding agrarian reform disputes and will decide issues and concerns according to the intent and spirit of the laws.
Addressing farmers from Batangas who trooped to the Department of Agrarian Reform to assert their claims to certain lands in the towns of Lian and Nasugbu, Agrarian Reform Secretry Conrado Estrella III vowed to "stand by what the law says" and that he would not be "swayed by any pressures wherever they may come from."
This he said is his viewpoint when judging agrarian cases at his first ever discussion with a group of farmers as the chairman of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) at the DAR Gymnasium in Quezon City.
The farmers applauded loudly when Estrella emphasized that he is fearless and will make decisions in accordance with the purpose and spirit of the law.
“This is very simple. We just need to follow the law.” Estrella said.
Estrella emphasized that he would treat everyone fairly while forming a five-man task team to look into the issues and concerns presented by the farmers, who belonged to the Damayan ng mga Manggagawa, Magsasaka at Mangingisda sa Bansa (DAMMMBA).
Atty. Napoleon Galit, Undersecretary for Legal Affairs, bannered the three lawyer representatives of the DAR in the task force, which also included his deputy, Assistant Secretary Celestina Tam, and Undersecretary for Field Operations, Atty. Kazel Celeste.
The two remaining spots are reserved for the attorneys representing the farmers' association and the former landowners.
In an attempt to sway Estrella's decision-making process in their favor, some former landowners may have started looking for patrons with political clout, Estrella claimed.
“I don’t care. I fear nobody even if they will threaten to derail the passage of DAR’s budget in the hearing,” he said.
Tags: #SecConradoEstrellaIII, #DAR, #farmers, #Batangas