Testimonials

TESTIMONIAL MESSAGE OF RED ANGEL ENRIQUEZ ON BSWM COMPENDIUM OF LEGAL BASES ON RECLASSIFICATION AND CONVERSION OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS

Personally, and officially, I consider this handbook as “a very valuable reference material” that will guide our Agency in making legally sound decision on matters pertaining to reclassification and conversion of agricultural lands.

If we talk about reclassification and conversion of agricultural lands, perhaps what immediately comes to our mind is the Department of Agriculture. This is precisely because we are one of the government agencies that play a key role in the issuance of Certification of Eligibility or Non-Eligibility to a proponent group or individual that applies for such particular legal document.

For many years now, this very important role of our Office is not given serious attention perhaps because of two reasons: Either we utterly lack ample knowledge on the legal basis or procedures or we just play “meek and mild” because anyway, some other agencies or even the concerned Local Government Units (LGUs) could take care of this. Hence, at the end of the day, we become neglectful of our critical regulatory function and take everything for granted.

So in essence, we became an unwilling or passive party in the fight against wanton or indiscriminate reclassification and conversion of agricultural lands. That’s why when we received this handbook from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), I accepted and welcomed it with gladness.

Am glad because at long last, we have this compendium of various Republic Acts, Guidelines or Directives that can be used as our ready reference to come up with an accurate and appropriate decision, in the absence of this, where else will we turn to?I am so happy with the outcome and particularly thanked BSWM for coming up with a very coherent and comprehensive reference material.

As Regional Executive Director of DA-RFO8, I will exhort all DA-8 officials especially the Regulatory Division Staff to help drum up support in trying their best to learn by heart and apply what this handbook tells us. “It’s time for us to walk our talk! Hopefully, the said handbook will give us clear direction on how to help stop the seemingly alarming rate of land conversion that is undeniably happening in some areas in Region 8.

I am also hoping that our quest for food self-sufficiency thru preservation and use of existing agricultural lands in years to come be given utmost attention by all policy makers and other stakeholders. I consider this a fulfillment of a promise, a critical factor that would help ensure the development and progress of our local agriculture sector. With the existence of this compendium or handbook, it is expected that the increasing rate of agricultural land conversion practices will be minimized or reduced.

But all this, depends much on the religious implementation of the recommendations/suggestions indicated in this handbook. Afterall, this is not just an ordinary document, it is an output of many brilliant minds and a product of collaborators coming from the grassroots going up to the highest ladder of the government bureaucracy. Let’s all wait and see what contributions such document and project could bring to the region’s agricultural landscape.

Maraming Salamat at Mabuhay ang BSWM. Mabuhay ang Kagawaran ng Pagsasaka!

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