QUEZON CITY (PIA)— President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr is set to sign the New Agrarian Emancipation Act making 610,054 Filipino farmers debt-free from P 57.55 billion of agrarian arrears.

The Department of Agrarian Reform announces that the president will sign the law at the Kalayaan Hall, Malacañang Palace on July 7, 2023.

President Marcos Jr., earlier stressed the need to continue and strengthen agrarian reform in his First State of the Nation Address.

“Agrarian reform is not only about acquisition, but also about support services and distribution. To assist this, I intend to issue an executive order to impose a one-year moratorium on the payment of land amortization and interest payments,” President Marcos said in July 2022.

Government has since railroaded Agrarian Reform Beneficiary (ARB) support nationwide in line with the implementation of the emancipation act such as Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) distributions.

DAR data indicates a total of P 57.55 billion worth of debt under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) incurred by ARBs for condonation.

Amortizations, including interest and surcharges, will be offset provided that they are still indebted upon the bill’s signing.

P14.5 billion debt of 263,622 ARBs will be condoned outright due to the Land Bank of the Philippines loan details submitted to congress.

The remaining P 43.057 billion principal loans will then be processed in three years provided 346,432 ARBs’ details are submitted.

Land distribution alongside landmark legislation

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III is set to lead a nationwide land title distribution alongside the president this July 7 to a total of 23,699 ARBs simultaneous with the signing of the emancipation act.

17,837 of the 26,177 land titles for distribution are e-titles under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) while 8,340 are classified under emancipation patents and CLOAs.

Regional title turnover activities on July 7 will be headed by designated DAR and local government unit officials at: Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Newtown Plaza Hotel, Baguio City; Ilocos Region, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) Batac, Ilocos Norte; MIMAROPA, AKC Country Homes, Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Bicol Region, Fuerto Sports Complex, Cadilan, Pili Camarines Sur; Western Visayas, Cadiz City Arena; Central Visayas, Uypitching Auditorium, Dumaguete City; Eastern Visayas, Leyte Progressive School Tacloban City; Zamboanga Peninsula, Cultural and Sport Center, Dipolog City; Northern Mindanao, Atrium Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro City; Davao Region, Arcadia Event Center, Matina, Davao City; SOCCSKSARGEN, Sultan Kudarat Sports and Cultural Complex, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat and; CARAGA, Naliyagan Grounds Capitol Agusan del Sur. 

Meanwhile, Central Luzon and CALABARZON titles will be distributed in Malacañang. (GG/PIA with reports from DAR)