PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. distributed 30 Certificates of Land Ownership (CLOAs) and 2,939 Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROMs) to 2,500 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in Pampanga province.
In his speech in Bacolor, Pampanga, the President said the distribution of COCROMs and CLOAs would help ease the situation and condition of farmers following a series of typhoons that hit the country in recent months.
A total of 2,487 ARBs received COCROMs while 28 others received their CLOAs.
Upon receiving the COCROMs, the President said the ARBs were freed from debts totaling P206.38 million, including amortization, interest, and other surcharges.
“From now on, we are nullifying your debt for the land granted to you under the agrarian reform,” the President said.
“This is a step to further strengthen the agriculture sector and help raise the standard of living of our farmers,” he added.
In the same event, the Chief Executive recognized Pampanga’s role in the country’s development.
The Chief Executive highlighted the partnership between the public and private sectors in the province through the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty Program.
“With the help of the government’s Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty Program, one of the commendable contributions of your province is the continuous supply of eggs to our Persons Deprived of Liberty or what we call PDLs in prisons or BJMP facilities,” the President said.
“This program is an example of the good cooperation between the private sector and the government,” he added.
Pampanga is the leading egg producer in Central Luzon. The province accounts for 17.7% of the country’s total egg production.
Meanwhile, President Marcos also said that the multiplication of seedling nurseries in different parts of the Philippines would benefit the country’s agriculture, food specialty, and food processing industries.
These are among the new strategies that the government sees as being used to reduce reliance on imported agricultural goods to meet local demand.
The proposal was mentioned in President Marcos’ meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) on Tuesday, where unused lands owned by State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) were identified for use in seedling production.
“Pampanga, known as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines, would benefit from the initiative,” President Marcos said.
“I am sure that in this way, it will help some of your main industries here in Pampanga, such as farming, specialty food, and food processing,” he said.
