November 22, 1995

DAR MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 28-95

RE                :     Institutionalizing Tripartite Partnership
                           in the Implementation of Agrarian Reform
                           in Sugarlands

I.       RATIONALE

Agrarian reform is an imperative towards national development and total people empowerment, and thus, requires the participation of key development actors such as the Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and the People's Organizations (POs).   CSHEAI

The 1987 constitution recognizes the important role of the NGOs and the POs in nation building.

RA 6657 otherwise called the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) calls for the active participation of the NGOs and POs in CARL implementation (Section 44).

It has been proven through various partnership programs that a cooperative relationship among the GOS, NGOs and POs could significantly fast-track land transfer, ensure coordination of support services delivery and catalyze the formation of self-reliant organizations.

There is a need to fast-track land acquisition and distribution of sugar lands under CARP especially in the provinces of Batangas, Iloilo, Capiz, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Leyte and Bukidnon.

There is need for the DAR to closely coordinate and work in partnership with NGOs and POs. Their expertise in the social infrastructure building and strengthening aspect in Sugar Estate development are required to interface with other relevant components of CARP.

There is also a need to adopt the Farming System Development approach in the development of farmhousehold systems and rural communities on a sustainable basis, through the partnership of GOs, NGOs and POs.

It is hereby mandated that a tripartite partnership, mobilizing the complementary contribution of the NGOs, POs and GOs, be established at all levels, phases and stages of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) implementation in sugarland areas covering the provinces of Batangas, Iloilo, Capiz, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Leyte, and Bukidnon.   SAcCIH

II.      OBJECTIVES

The tripartite approach or the GO-NGO-PO partnership in CARP implementation for Sugar land areas has the following objectives:

A.        General Objectives:

1.         To promote a people-centered agrarian reform and rural development program with people as both the means and end of development.

2.         To create greater and maximum economic, political, and social impact in the lives of the Agrarian Reform beneficiaries.

3.         To develop farm-household systems and rural communities on a sustainable basis.

B.        Specific Objectives:

1.         To strengthen and increase the number of autonomous, critical, self-reliant POs owning lands and having access to various government resources;

2.         To create a positive political environment or a supportive policy environment favoring the constituency of Agrarian Reform;

3.         To share resources and complement roles and expertise in the pursuit of total people empowerment;

4.         To significantly improve land tenure improvement (LTI) processing and inter-agency coordination for support services delivery;

5.         To maximize or optimize use of resources from the GOs, NGOs, and POs;

6.         To institutionalize a sharing of responsibility for agrarian reform implementation;

7.         To improve transparency, credibility, and accountability in the conduct of government affairs;

8.         To hasten farm productivity improvement, increase farm and family income.

III.    DEFINITION OF TERMS (For our purposes in this circular)

Non-government Organization (NGO) — refers to a non-profit, non-stock registered organization that aims for the political, economic, socio-cultural development of the marginal sectors (e.g. laborers, fisherfolks, farmers) of society through the use of community organizing principles and approaches.

            NGOs can be categorized as line and support NGOs. Those who assist the direct NGOs to do their work more effectively are the support NGOs. (e.g. NGO networks, research and training institutions).

People's Organization (PO) — refers to the farmers' organizations that work for the economic, political and cultural empowerment of its members.   TSDHCc

Partnership — the mode of interaction among various sectors, agencies, or groups to achieve a particular task, objective, goal and vision while maintaining their institutional autonomy.

            A relationship involving close cooperation among parties/organizations with specified and joint rights and responsibilities.

Coordination — a process engaged in by two or more people/organizations with an orderly arranged group effort to provide unity of action. Emphasizes the systematic adjustment of organizations to each others' interests. It is concerned mainly with the regular and reciprocal characters of communication and action of the organization to meet individual objectives.

IV.    PRINCIPLES OF PARTNERSHIP

The partnership will be guided by the following principles:

1.         Beginning with the clear end in mind: Total People Empowerment, Improved Land Tenure, and Better Quality of Life

From the start, it is important that the partners fully understand the implications of agrarian reform, as well as the impact that the partnership hopes to create in the lives of individual farmers and in the lives of the people's organizations. The end of the tripartite approach is a "period where the community itself has developed the capacity to generate, control and manage human, material and natural resources from within and from outside the community."

2.         Partnership is a Process

Essentially, building partnership is building relationships. Many government personnel have not been working together to achieve common objectives would be a novel experience. Thus, it should be expected at ease in relating with NGOs and POs and vice versa. For many of the GOs, NGOs and PO workers, that it will take sometime of joint activities before relationships would nature. Partnership, in other words, is something that cannot be imposed but something that develops through the process.

3.         Creativity and Innovation

All agrarian reform workers must follow the laws and administrative orders, remembering that the welfare of the landless farmers and farmworkers must receive the highest consideration to promote social justice and to move the nation toward sound rural development and industrialization, and the establishment of owner cultivatorship of common-size farms as the basis of Philippine agriculture (Sec. 2, RA 6657)

This circular encourages all actors especially the DAR personnel to be creative and innovative in the pursuit of the objectives of the tripartite approaches to CARP, they are encouraged to put more emphasis on the spirit rather than the letter of the laws, regulations, guidelines and structures. It is recognized that various situations require more creative and innovative mechanism. Thus, in partnership with NGOs and POs, all DAR personnel are encouraged to produce and test ideas that would improve effectiveness and efficiency of the CARL implementation.   cSHATC

4.         Mutual Respect and Openness

Each sector is considered partner in the truest sense of the word. It is assumed, therefore that the partners understand and recognize the important roles being played by each one. In this regard, the autonomy of the NGOs and POs are respected and should not be undermined in the process. Differences of opinion and approaches must be recognized and must be confronted in order to create a healthy and trusting atmosphere among the partners. Moreover, there is openness, in the sense that each reveals the truth and accepts positive criticisms, remarks, suggestions and ideas.

5.         Role Complementation and Resource Sharing

It is understood that the primary actor in agrarian reform is the people's organization while the NGOs and GOs provide the supporting roles. This means that all activities of the NGOs and GOs must complement and must be geared towards the empowerment of the partner PO in all areas, namely: political, economic and cultural. Towards this end, there should be sharing of resources and expertise among the different partners.

6.         Establishment of Partnership at all Levels, in all Concerns, and all Stages

Partnership means a collaborative work at all levels: national, provincial, municipal and community. It should also cover all concerns; Land Tenure Improvement (LTI), Farming Systems Development (FSD) and Social Infrastructure Building and Strengthening (SIBS). Likewise, partnership should also cover the whole process of program planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation (PIME).

7.         Shared Responsibility and Accountability

Partnership should fully appreciate that success of this approach would benefit not just one group but everyone. As such, each has a stake in its success. Partners must also realize that all of them are ultimately jointly accountable to farmers and farmworkers.

8.         Oneness and Cooperation

In real sense, partners are not competitors but allies, not working for awards but honor for partnership and a shared feeling of commitment towards the development of the province. Practically, it is complementation of efforts for efficiency and coordination of activities for effectiveness of the program. Active participation and immediate action are the key words for a stronger partnership and attainment of program goals and objectives.

V.     MECHANISM OF THE TRIPARTITE PARTNERSHIP

The Tripartite Partnership can be institutionalized and further enhanced by improving the organization process, functions, structures, and systems of the national, regional, provincial, municipal, and community/estate level coordinating bodies.   ScaHDT

For DAR, at the national level, Department Special Order No. 98 series of 1995 created the National Task Force Sugarlands. The Task Force is mandated to resolve operational problems with regards to the acquisition and distribution of Sugarland areas and the provision of support services to affected farmer-beneficiaries. The DAR National Task Force are composed of the following.

Chairperson: Undersecretary for FOG/SSO

Members: (Central Office)

Assistant Secretary for LAO

Assistant Secretary for FMAO

Director — BARBD

Director — PDMS

FAO TSARRD Representatives

FOG/SSO Representatives (4)

(Field Offices)

Regional Directors of Region IV, VI, VII, VIII & X

Provincial Agrarian Reform Officers of the provinces of Batangas, Iloilo, Capiz, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Leyte and Bukidnon.

NGO Provincial Representative for the identified eight (8) priority provinces.

In order to provide the Task Force with the needed technical support, a Technical Support Group (TSG) composed of the following was also created:

Coordinator — FOG/SSO

Members:

FOG/SSO Representatives

PDMS Representative

PARC Secretariat Representative

FMAO Representative

BARBD Representative

CARPO — BDCD of the provinces of Batangas, Iloilo, Capiz, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Leyte, and Bukidnon.

At the Provincial level, Provincial Task force Sugarlands area created to accelerate the implementation of agrarian reform activities in sugarland areas and facilitate the implementation plans and program for its integrated development. The provincial Task Force will be composed of the following:   CAHaST

Chairperson: PARO

Members:

CARPO Operation

CARPO BDCD

CARPO Admin. & Finance

Legal Officer

PMEU Head

MAROs of sugarland areas

NGO/PO Caucus

At the provincial level, a caucus of NGOs/POs who have formalized a partnership agreement with DAR in the implementation of CARP in Sugarlands, has to be set-up wherein they shall select among themselves, a CONVENOR who, at the same time, will act as the Co-chairperson representing NGOs/POs at the Provincial Tripartite Task Force Sugarlands. The caucus will also have to choose two members for the Joint DAR-NGO/PO secretariat

Provincial Tripartite Task force Sugarlands

The Provincial Tripartite Task Force Sugarlands will be constituted in all the eight (8) provinces covered by Operation Sugarlands. The Tripartite Task Force will be responsible of the following concerns:

1.         Identify operational problems, issues and concerns affecting CARP implementation in sugarlands and draw-out strategies to resolve them at the lowest level possible.

2.         Provide a venue for CARP constituency-building to create a positive political environment or a supportive policy environment for CARP through advocacy, education, mobilization networking and alliance building.

3.         Draw-out mechanisms to access resources and facilitate the delivery of support services to AR farmers in sugarlands.

4.         Conduct a regular program Review and Planning Session (RPS) to assess accomplishments and develop strategies plans.

Composition of the Provincial Tripartite Task Force Sugarlands

Chairperson: Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO)

Co-chairperson: NGO/PO Convenor

Members:                   1)       All members of the DAR Provincial

                                             Task Force Sugarlands

                                   2.        Representatives per NGO/PO partner in

                                             sugarlands

Joint DAR-NGO/PO Secretariat

To provide secretariat support for the Tripartite Task Force, a joint secretariat has to be set-up composed of the following:

DAR Point Person/Coordinator — CARPO BDCD

DAR Support Staff (1)

NGO/PO representative (2)

It would be the responsibility of the Joint Secretariat to ensure that all agreements of the Tripartite Task Force are followed through. The principle of resource sharing should also be followed in the operationalization of its tasks.

Its is also recommended that a similar mechanism be adopted at the municipal and barangay or community level.

This Memorandum Circular takes effect immediately and supersedes previous issuances inconsistent hereto.   aECSHI

Diliman, Quezon City 22 November 1995.

(SGD.) JOSE NOEL D. OLANO

Undersecretary FOG/SSO Chairperson-National Task Force
Sugarlands