G.R. No. 86889 Case Digest

G.R. No. 86889, December 4, 1990

Luz Farms

vs Hon. Sec. of the Dept. of Agrarian Reform

Ponente: Paras

Facts:

Luz Farms is a corporation engaged in livestock and poultry business allegedly stands to be adversely affected by the enforcement of CARP. Luz Farms petitions CARP to be declared unconstitutional together with a writ of preliminary injunction or restraining the order. The Court resolved to deny the petition.

Later, after a motion for reconsideration, the Court granted the motion regarding the injunction and required the parties to file their respective memoranda.

Luz Farm: Livestock or poultry raising is not similar to crop or tree farming. Land is not the primary resource in this undertaking and represents no more than five percent (5%) of the total investment of commercial livestock and poultry raisers. Indeed, there are many owners of residential lands all over the country who use available space in their residence for commercial livestock and raising purposes, under "contract-growing arrangements," whereby processing corporations and other commercial livestock and poultry raisers.

DAR: livestock and poultry raising is embraced in the term "agriculture" and the inclusion of such enterprise under Section 3(b) of R.A. 6657 is proper. He cited that Webster's International Dictionary, "Agriculture — the art or science of cultivating the ground and raising and harvesting crops, often, including also, feeding, breeding and management of livestock, tillage, husbandry, farming.

Issue: Constitutionality of CARP, insofar as the said law includes the raising of livestock, poultry, swine in its coverage.

Ruling:

The transcripts of the deliberations of the Constitutional Commission of 1986 on the meaning of the word "agricultural," clearly show that it was never the intention of the framers of the Constitution to include livestock and poultry industry in the coverage of the constitutionally-mandated agrarian reform program of the Government.

PREMISES CONSIDERED, the instant petition is hereby GRANTED. Sections 3(b), 11, 13 and 32 of R.A. No. 6657 insofar as the inclusion of the raising of livestock, poultry and swine in its coverage as well as the Implementing Rules and Guidelines promulgated in accordance therewith, are hereby DECLARED null and void for being unconstitutional and the writ of preliminary injunction issued is hereby MADE permanent.