IF farmers are given the proper support to make farming a viable livelihood, then agrarian reform beneficiaries would not be tempted to sell the land they acquired, AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee said on Tuesday.
“Naiintindihan natin ang pangamba ng ating mga civil society organizations (CSOs), ngunit bilang principal author ng New Agrarian Emancipation Act, nais kong klaruhin na ang layunin ng batas na ito ay bigyan ng sapat na suporta ang ating mga magsasaka para ang pagsasaka ay maging kumikitang kabuhayan para sa kanila, nang sa gayon ay hindi sila mamuhay na isang kahig, isang tuka,” Lee said.
Lee was reacting to fears expressed by CSOs that the more than half a million beneficiaries of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act would sell the land they have been tilling for decades after they acquire the titles and once the 10-year prohibition of selling the land is over.
Republic Act (RA) No. 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. last Friday, condones an estimated ₱57.56 billion in unpaid amortization amounts, interest payments, surcharges, and penalties of existing loans of some 610,054 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) secured under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), repealing Section 26 of RA No. 6657, as amended, Section 6 of EO No. 228, series of 1987, as well as the pertinent provisions of other agrarian laws.
“Kapag na-implement nang maayos ang ating mga batas, hindi mangyayari ang mga kinatatakutan ng ating civil society partners. Good laws are only good or beneficial when they are properly implemented so this is what we must ensure—that the spirit of the law is what is being implemented,” the Bicolano lawmaker stressed.
“If our farmers are made to realize that farming is a profitable enterprise and they can make a decent living out of farming, then they would not be tempted to sell off the land that have been given to them. That is why aside from condonation, the New Agrarian Emancipation Act also provides that ARBs who have completed payment of their amortizations shall be given preference to credit facilities and support services para siguradong Winner Tayo Lahat,” he added.
Lee said extending adequate support to farmers is vital as the country’s growing population requires the government to amp up agriculture productivity to ensure food security.
“Kapag hindi natin masuportahan nang maayos ang ating mga magsasaka, ang ending natin ay mapililitan tayo na mag-import ng mga produkto mula sa ibang bansa,” he said.
