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Roxas & Company, Inc. vs. DAMBA-NFSW [CONCURRING OPINION, PUNO, J.]

ROXAS & COMPANY, INC., Petitioner, versus DAMBA-NFSW and the DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM,* Respondents

G.R. No. 149548 | 2009-12-04

SEPARATE CONCURRING OPINION

PUNO, C.J.:

At test is our commitment to a centerpiece of the Constitution: social justice. In the past, we have always struck a blow for agrarian reform and taken the cudgels for farmers in their struggle for a life with dignity. We cannot abandon that stance for that is dictated by the fundamental law of the land.

In G.R. Nos. 167540 and 167543, the issue for resolution is whether Presidential Proclamation No. 1520 excludes the disputed lots from the coverage of Republic Act No. 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL), effective on June 15, 1988.

The CARL implements the command for agrarian reform in...