Courtesy: PH gazette
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has fulfilled his promise to farmers to free them from debt as he signed on Friday the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which will benefit more than 600,000 Filipino farmers nationwide.
“Sa kauna-unahan ko na State of the Nation Address ay nasabi ko…at ipinangako ko sa ating mga kababayan na itutuloy ang Agrarian Reform Program. I am here today to build on that promise because our beneficiaries deserve nothing less,” President Marcos said during his speech after signing the Act at the Kalayaan Hall in Malacañan Palace.
“Itutuloy natin ang repormang agraryo—hindi lamang sa pamimigay ng lupa sa mga magsasakang hanggang ngayon ay wala pa ring lupa, kundi upang tuluyan sila’y palayain mula sa pagkakautang na pumipigil sa kanilang ganap na pagmamay-ari ng lupang bigay sa kanila ng pamahalaan,” added the President, who also serves as Agriculture secretary.
The New Agrarian Emancipation Act, or Republic Act (RA) No.11593, will benefit around 610,054 Filipino farmers tilling more than 1.7 million hectares of land agrarian reform lands, making them debt-free from P57.65 billion of agrarian arrears.
Under the existing agrarian laws, the President said each agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) has to pay the cost of land given to him in 30 years with 6 percent interest.
“Panahon na para makalaya sila sa pagkakautang na ito. This is why on 13 September 2022, I signed Executive Order No. 4, imposing a one-year moratorium on the payment of amortization on agrarian debt by our beneficiaries,” President Marcos said.
“Yet, I know that the government can and must do more to alleviate the plight of our agrarian reform beneficiaries,” he pointed out.
President Marcos thanked the Legislative branch for “heeding the call for social justice for our farmers.”
“Sa ngalan ng ating mga magsasaka at ng sambayanang Pilipino, taos-puso akong nagpapasalamat sa Kongreso at sa Senado sa agarang pagpanday ng batas na ito,” the President said.
“Ikinararangal ko na pirmahan ang batas na ito upang tuluyan nang makalaya sa pagkakautang ang ating mga magsasaka mula sa araw na ito,” he added.
The law condones all unpaid amortizations, including interests and surcharges, for awarded lands under RA No. 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, and other agrarian reform laws. These shall be condoned, provided that these ARBs have been indebted to the government as of end of 2022.
The principal loans valued at P14.5 billion of the 263,622 ARBs, whose names and loan details were submitted by the Landbank of the Philippines to Congress, shall be condoned outright.
The condonation of the remaining P43.06 billion in loans of 346,432 ARBs shall take effect upon submission of the details of indebtedness of ARBs by the LBP and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to Congress.
The government also will assume the obligation for the payment of just compensation to landowners under the Voluntary Land Transfer or Direct Payment schemes for the benefit of 10,201 ARBs with total payables of P206.25 million.
President Marcos also led on Friday the awarding of land titles to ARBs at the Heroes Hall in Malacañan Palace, noting that the agriculture sector needs more than just distribution of free lands.
He reiterated the need to further enable the sector through the provision of credit facilities, farm inputs and equipment, and market access, including farm-to-market roads.
“As President, I assure you, we will never stop providing our farmers with the support that they need to help make their farms more productive while also improving their lives and that of their families,” he said.
