Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 7905)
The Office of Support Services is created to provide general support and coordinative services in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), particularly in carrying out services such as irrigation, infrastructure development, credit assistance, financial support, research, marketing, and management related to agrarian reform beneficiaries and affected landowners.
The Office provides services including irrigation facilities, infrastructure development, government subsidies for irrigation, price support for agricultural produce, credit and financial assistance, extension services, research and development, cooperative management training, market identification and marketing training, information dissemination, credit guarantee fund creation, and management of support service programs and projects.
At least twenty-five percent (25%) of all appropriations for agrarian reform must be set aside and made available for support services expenses and costs.
An Agrarian Reform Community is defined as a barangay or a cluster of barangays primarily composed and managed by agrarian reform beneficiaries who are willing to be organized and undertake integrated development through their organizations or cooperatives.
The PARCCOM coordinates and monitors the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) within the province. It provides information on CARP provisions, recommends market prices, payment schemes, lease-back arrangements, and ensures the program's progress.
The PARCCOM is composed of a Chairman appointed by the President upon recommendation; the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer as Executive Officer; representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, and Land Bank of the Philippines; representatives from farmers' organizations, agricultural cooperatives and NGOs; two landowner representatives (one representing the principal crop); two farmer/farmworker beneficiaries' representatives (one representing the principal crop); and one representative from cultural communities if present.
The PARCCOM may recommend the adoption of direct payment schemes provided that the terms are not more burdensome to the beneficiary than compulsory coverage, the beneficiary agrees to terms, DAR mediates disagreements, and the beneficiary may borrow up to 85% of the selling price from the Land Bank of the Philippines.
The PARC must provide guidelines that consider the peculiarities and needs of each province, including crop suitability, land distribution workload, beneficiary development, and support services program availability to ensure effective implementation.
DAR is authorized to enter into contracts with private parties on a long-term basis, through joint-venture agreements or build-operate-transfer schemes to provide infrastructure and facilities such as barangay sites, water and power resources, irrigation, post-harvest facilities, and other agricultural development infrastructure.
The law mandates extending necessary credit such as concessional and collateral-free loans based on social collateral like guarantees from farmers' organizations, promoting and assisting small to medium-scale agro-industrial financial assistance, and creating credit guarantee funds to enhance collateral value.