October 29, 2003

JOINT DAR-NCIP MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 15-03

TO                :     All Concerned Officials And Personnel Of The DAR And The NCIP

SUBJECT    :     Temporary Suspension Of Land Acquisition And Distribution (Lad), And
                           Ancestral Domain/Ancestral Land (Ad/Al) Titling Activities In Contentious
                           Areas

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) is in the process of threshing out policy issues pertaining to the delivery of support services and coverage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) or R.A. No. 6657 and Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) or R.A. No. 8371 in order to address problems on the implementation of both programs. In view of the foregoing and to avoid further complication of operational issues and concerns in the field, you are hereby directed to temporarily suspend the implementation of the land acquisition and distribution (LAD), and ancestral domain/ancestral land (AD/AL) titling activities in areas where the following issues and concerns are encountered:   EHaCID

1.         Coverage of subject lands under the CARL and IPRA;

2.         Conflicts on claims of ownership over subject property; and

3.         All other issues and concerns as may be determined by the Secretary of the DAR and/or the Chairperson of the NCIP as meriting policy clarifications.

This Joint DAR-NCIP Memorandum Circular shall be in effect and shall automatically terminate upon the issuance of a Joint DAR-NCIP Administrative Order. All other activities by the respective agencies that do not encounter such issues and concerns as enumerated herein shall be continued.

In this regard, you are further directed to identify and submit a report of specific cases/matters involving such issues and concerns within fifteen (15) days from issuance of this Circular to the following:

a.)        For the DAR Field Offices:

USEC. RICARDO S. ARLANZA

c/o Director Martha Carmel Salcedo

Policy and Strategic Research Service

3rd floor, Department of Agrarian Reform

Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City

b.)       For the NCIP Field Offices:

CHAIRPERSON REUBEN D.A. LINGATING

National Commission on Indigenous Peoples

2nd Floor, New de la Merced Building

Quezon Avenue corner West Avenue

Quezon City

For strict compliance.

This Joint Memorandum Circular shall take effect immediately.   CSIDEc

Quezon City, 29 October, 2003

(SGD.) ROBERTO M. PAGDANGANAN
Secretary
Department of Agrarian Reform

(SGD.) REUBEN D.A. LINGATING
Chairperson

National Commission on Indigenous Peoples