SIQUIJOR, Dec. 1 (PIA) -- Eighteen agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Siquijor benefit from the New Agrarian Emancipation Act or Republic Act 11953, which aims to write off farmers’ debts and award them land titles.
The ARBs are tilling 20 lots in the towns of Maria, Larena, and Siquijor.
They are part of the first batch of 610,054 ARBs nationwide who will benefit from the government’s agrarian condonation program.
The New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which the President signed into law on July 7, 2023, is the fulfillment of his promise to pass a law condoning the farmers’ unpaid debts during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July 2022.
Thankful ARBs
“Dako kaayo among pasalamat ni President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. ug DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III sa nadawat namong titulo gikan sa DAR ug sa pagwala sa among bayranan (We are thankful to President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos and DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III for the land title we received and for freeing us from our debt),” said Antonio Maghinay, an agrarian reform beneficiary from Brgy. Bogo, Maria, Siquijor.
Another beneficiary, 67-year old Tita Anoos of Brgy. Nabutay, Maria, Siquijor has been tilling the land her family acquired in 2002.
“Padayon kaming motikad niini, tamnan pa namo ug dugang mga lubi ug saging (We will continue tilling the land, and plant it with more coconut trees and banana),” Anoos said.
Anoos’ land had been planted with around 200 coconut trees, some of which have started to bear fruits.
“Dako gyud kayo akong pasalamat ni President ug DAR secretary sa nadawat nakong titulo gikan sa DAR ug sa pagwala sa among bayranan (I am extremely grateful to the President and the DAR secretary),” she added.
The said beneficiaries have completed the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) verification and validation for the implementation of the program, said DAR Siquijor Information Officer Renee Sitchon.
Condonation program
Agrarian reform beneficiaries are farmers or farm workers who have been awarded lands under Presidential Decree No. 27, Republic Act No. 6657 as amended and Republic Act No. 9700.
Existing agrarian reform laws require ARBs to pay for the land awarded to them in annual installments, with 6 percent interest for a maximum of 30 years.
R.A.11953 condones all the unpaid amortizations of the principal debt, including interest and surcharges incurred by ARBs, if any.
The government will also assume the obligation of 10,201ARBs tilling 11,531.24 hectares of land to pay the remaining balance of the direct compensation due the landowners under the Voluntary Land Transfer or the Direct Payment Scheme amounting to P206,247,776.41 million.
Condonation frees the awarded lands from all mortgage liens in favor of the national government.
The law also exempts ARBs from the payment of estate tax.
ARBs who fully paid their agrarian debt will be given priority of access to credit facilities and support services.
They will also be automatically included in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which entitles them to all support services given to farmers by the DA and other government agencies.
Agrarian Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III thanked the President and lauded Congress for passing the law.
“By freeing farmers from the agrarian debt and ensuring broader support services and credit facilities, the Marcos administration has given more resources to our farmers to increase the productivity of their farms and uplift the quality of their lives,” Estrella said. (RAC/RMN/PIA7-Siquijor)
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