MANILA – A total of 6,300 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from the province of Cagayan have been relieved of debt amounting to PHP392,675,939.
In a news release on Tuesday, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said 6,803 Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (CoCRoM) covering 6,303 hectares of land were distributed at the municipal gymnasium of Solana on December 9.
Senator Imee Marcos, along with Agrarian Reform Regional Director Primo Lara, spearheaded the distribution.
“Wala na kayong kailangan bayaran sa lupang ipinagkaloob sa inyo ng pamahalaan. Bukod pa dito, tuluy-tuloy pa nating tutulungan ang mga magsasaka patungo sa pagpapaunlad ng kanilang mga lupain (You don’t have to pay anything for the land granted to you by the government. In addition, we will continue to help farmers towards the development of their lands),” Marcos told the beneficiaries.
The distribution of CoCRoM fulfills the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (NAEA), signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 7, 2023.
RA 11953 condones all loans, including interest, penalties, and surcharges incurred by ARBs who were granted land under Presidential Decree 27 or the Tenant Emancipation Law signed by former president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. in 1972, RA 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) signed under the administration of former president Corazon Aquino, and RA 9700, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) signed by former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The NAEA covers about 610,054 farmers nationwide and more than 1.7 million hectares of agrarian reform lands, clearing PHP57.65 billion in agrarian arrears.
During the event, DAR also distributed 570 land titles to 477 ARBs in Cagayan, covering 444.883 hectares.
A ceremony was also held for the turnover of five farm-to-market roads in Amulung, Abulug, and Gattaranwas towns.
The projects have a combined value of PHP80 million and are expected to boost agricultural productivity and advance rural development in the region. (PNA)