MANILA -The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has vowed to speed up the resolution of pending agrarian reform cases by hiring additional lawyers to review disputes. DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III, in a statement issued on Thursday, said this is part of the department's compliance with the mandate of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to provide social justice and free the farmers from the bondage of the soil. Estrella revealed that DAR is experiencing a shortage of lawyers that will review agrarian reform disputes pending under the DAR Adjudication Board (DARAB) and the Agrarian Law Implementation (ALI). "The DAR will encourage more lawyers to join the team to help us review pending cases, conduct fast-tracking activities, and enhance its legal case monitoring system," he said. From 1988 to June 2022, Estrella said the DARAB has received 640,807 caseloads. Of the number, some 638,445 have already been adjudicated, with 2,362 cases still pending. Meanwhile, the DAR recei