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Agrarian reform beneficiaries in Sariaya town are raising concerns over what they believe may be another wave of land revocations, as reports circulate of individuals seeking contracts to cut coconut trees in their communities.
The developments have sparked anxiety among farmers in the villages of Manggalang Kiling, Concepcion 1 and Concepcion Pinagbakuran, who fear their lands could be converted for commercial use.
Danny Carranza, secretary general of Kilusan Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo at Katarungang Panlipunan (Katarungan), said the farmers grew uneasy after strangers began approaching residents about tree-cutting agreements.
“The farmers were alarmed when several individuals were making the rounds of the villages seeking contracts for the cutting of coconut trees,” Carranza said in an online interview on Monday.
He added that the beneficiaries are worried about the possible cancellation of their certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs), allegedly to accommodate corporate interests eyeing the property.
“Their fears have historical basis. The past cancellation of their CLOAs appears to be happening again,” he said.
On Sunday, farmers and their families staged a protest calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to halt any move to commercialize their farmland and to act on their petition opposing the revocation of their CLOAs.
They also appealed to Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform, to investigate the cancellations.
During the rally, former CLOA holder Efren Mendoza expressed frustration over what he described as broken assurances from the DAR.
“The DAR told us that once a CLOA and title is issued, it can no longer be taken away from the farmer beneficiary. Why then were our CLOAs revoked? Why were we stripped of our land rights?” Mendoza said in Filipino.
Mendoza previously held a CLOA covering 2.5 hectares in Manggalang Kiling. His title was later revoked after the former landowner secured a court exemption from coverage under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
In 2016, the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of landowners in a case affecting 255 farmers who had been awarded land in 1997, prompting a 122-kilometer march to Metro Manila to appeal for the return of the property. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the landowners in 2020.
Mendoza emphasized the broader implications of losing land ownership.
“A CLOA is not just a piece of paper. It is our livelihood, our dignity, and the future of our children. That is why we are demanding clear and immediate action,” he said.
Farmer groups noted that some lands returned to former owners have since remained idle or have been offered for commercial sale. In certain cases, former beneficiaries were allowed to stay as tenants or hired as farmworkers, while others negotiated arrangements to continue cultivating the land.
Carranza warned that ongoing land conversion could affect food supply.
“The country will continue to lose its ability to feed its people due to land conversion. Do we still wonder why food prices keep rising?” he said.
Katarungan estimates that farmers in the three villages produce around 600,000 tons of assorted vegetables annually, supplying markets in Calabarzon, Metro Manila and parts of the Bicol region.
Carranza criticized the agrarian reform program, saying it has “effectively become a playground for real estate developers.”
He also called for an investigation into what he described as inaction by the DAR, noting that the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council had formed a task force to review the case and conducted inspections confirming that the contested areas remain productive farmland.
The group is urging authorities to audit CARP-covered lands issued conversion orders and evaluate the impact of such conversions on national food security.