Section 3. Powers and Functions - Administrative Code of 1987

(1) Implement laws, programs and policies for the acquisition and distribution of all agricultural lands as provided by laws;

(2) Resettle landless farmers and farmworkers in government-owned agricultural estates which shall be distributed to them as provided by law;

(3) Recommend and provide incentives for voluntary sharing of lands by owners of agricultural lands;

(4) Acquire, determine the value, subdivide into family-size farms, develop and distribute to qualified tillers, actual occupants and displaced urban poor, private agricultural lands regardless of area and crops planted;

(5) Administer and dispose of, under a settlement scheme, all portions of the public domain declared as alienable and disposable lands for speedy distribution to and development by deserving and qualified persons who do not own any land and under such terms and conditions as the Department may prescribe, giving priority to qualified and deserving farmers in the province where such lands are located;

(6) Provide free legal assistance to farmers covered by agrarian reform and expedite the resolution of agrarian conflicts and land tenure problems either through conciliatory or adversary proceedings;

(7) Provide creative, responsive and effective information, education and communication programs and projects both for the tenant beneficiaries, landowners, the government and private sectors and the general public, thereby generating a broad spectrum of support and understanding of the new agrarian reform program;

(8) Strengthen agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations to a degree of national viability that would enable them to share in the shaping of government policies and institutionalize farmers' participation in agrarian reform policy formulation, program implementation and evaluation;

(9) Promote the organization and development of cooperatives of agrarian reform beneficiaries and register the same;

(10) Implement all agrarian reform laws and for the this purpose issue subpoena, subpoena duces tecum, and writs of execution of its orders, and decisions and other legal processes to ensure compliance from all parties concerned for successful and expeditious program implementation;

(11) Undertake land surveys on lands covered by agrarian reform, and issue patents to farmers covered by agrarian reform, both on private and public lands;

(12) Develop, implement and undertake alternative and innovative land development schemes and land tenure systems such as, but not limited to land consolidation, land farming cooperative farming and agro-industrial estates;

(13) Approve or disapprove conversion of agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses such as residential and industrial conversions in accordance with the existing provisions of law;

(14) Undertake land use management studies;

(15) Compensate the landowners covered by agrarian reform;

(16) Integrate and synchronize program implementation of the Land Bank of the Philippines and other relevant civilian and military government and private entities involved and mandated to support the agrarian reform program through Inter-Agency Committees and Agrarian Reform Coordinating Councils; and

(17) Perform such other functions as may be provided by law.