THE proposed ₱16.935-billion budget of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for 2027 will help more Filipino farmers secure ownership of their land, benefit from agrarian debt relief, receive legal assistance, and gain access to support services that can improve their livelihoods and agricultural productivity, Appropriations Vice Chair and Isabela 3rd District Rep. Ian Paul L. Dy said Wednesday.
Dy, who sponsored the DAR budget during the second day of plenary deliberations on the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget, said the allocation includes ₱2.24 billion in automatic appropriations and is 6.75 percent lower than the agency’s budget for the current year.
“Agrarian reform is not merely a government administrative program; at its heart, it is an instrument of restorative justice,” Dy said.
“When we secure land ownership, when we lift decades of suffocating debt, when we construct infrastructure to help our farmers, and when we deliver free legal protection, we are not simply funding economic activities; we are investing in human dignity, food security, and rural emancipation under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision of a Bagong Pilipinas!”
Dy revealed that DAR has distributed 410,179 land titles covering 556,088 hectares and benefiting 376,738 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) under the Marcos administration from July 2022 through August 12, 2026.
Land title distribution accelerated from 69,897 titles in 2023 to 102,536 in 2024 and a record 199,838 in 2025. Another 16,032 titles covering 23,574 hectares were distributed to 14,023 beneficiaries from January 1 to August 12 this year.
The proposed budget will also provide support for the implementation of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which relieves qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries of debts incurred in acquiring agricultural lands. As of August 12, DAR had distributed 703,047 Certificates of Condonation and Release of Mortgage covering 901,246 hectares and wiping out ₱54.702 billion in unpaid principal, interest and surcharges.
According to the lawmaker, “every peso allocated in this budget directly fuels title generation, debt emancipation, legal resolution, and agricultural productivity,” noting that 2027 will serve as a crucial bridge toward the administration’s goal of completing land distribution under agrarian reform by 2028.
“Let us ensure that our farmers receive the full measure of justice, land security, and economic opportunity they deserve. Sariling Lupa para sa Bagong Bukas na Masagana! Para sa Bagong Pilipinas!”
Beyond distributing land, Dy said DAR is moving toward providing stronger and more comprehensive support services to ARBs and Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations (ARBOs), with the objective of helping beneficiaries become productive and sustainable agricultural entrepreneurs capable of competing in domestic and international markets.
The House, led by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III, is examining the DAR allocation with particular focus on whether government spending reaches farmers and translates land ownership into greater economic opportunity. Appropriations Committee Chairperson and Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing is steering the chamber’s detailed consideration of the ₱7.2-trillion spending plan, consistent with the Speaker’s commitment to ensure that the 2027 budget delivers concrete benefits to Filipinos.
metrosundaily
