He added that the recommendation of the DoJ panel to amend the JVA to make it compliant with the law indicates that the justice department deems the contract valid. Tadeco, he said, pays BuCor not only a guaranteed annual production and profit share, but also provides the funds for the Bureau’s Inmate Farm Workers Training and Exposure Program, the inmates’ stipends and training subsidies. “For 2016 alone, Tadeco paid BuCor a total of P142,719,662, which equates approximately to P27,000 per hectare. The Tadeco head said that the 1935 and 1973 Constitutions does not bar the government from entering into joint venture arrangements involving inalienable lands like the DPPF. “In fact, under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, there is now an express provision allowing joint venture arrangement involving exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources.

Source: Manila Times May 10, 2017 16:07 UTC