Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 19)— President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he will not honor any resale of land originally awarded to farmer-beneficiaries under the government’s land reform program.
“Meron yung binigay na sa beneficiaries at binili ulit. Look, sabihin ko na sa inyo, sa panahon ko, I will not honor that sale,” Duterte said in a speech at the decommissioning event of rebel groups in Capiz. “I will not honor that contract. Do not give me that s***.”
[Translation: There are lands already given to beneficiaries, but are bought again. I will tell you, during my administration, I will not honor that sale.]
“Maybe for the first time in his life, he got hold of so much money. At iilan lang ‘yan (It’s just some amount). And yet when it is gone, dissipated either intentionally or sa mga gastos sa buhay, wala silang mabalikan (spent for life, they won’t have anything to go back to),” the President added.
He insisted that the move is prohibited by law, adding that tenants can help the farmers in other ways.
“The law has come up with a mechanism for you guys… Kayong mga farmers, mga tenants (you farmers and tenants) … leave it that way. Gusto ninyong tulungan yung kapwa tao ninyo, bigyan niyo ng pera o bilhin niyo yung tubo nila (if you want to help your fellow Filipinos, just give money or buy their canes). But for you to get the land back, I don’t think I will honor that kind of [transaction],” Duterte noted.
The chief executive, in the same speech, renewed his call for the Agrarian Reform Department to expedite the distribution of government-owned lands to the beneficiaries.
Duterte had distributed Certificates of Land Ownership Award to thousands of beneficiaries in North Cotabato last year. He also distributed 3.2 hectares of land in Boracay to members of the Ati tribe back in November.
RELATED: Duterte: Distributing all gov’t land will make NPA members surrender
