By Michelle Ducut
A total of 3,296 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the Bicol Region received debt relief amounting to over PHP88.8 million, including unpaid loans, amortizations, and interest on agricultural lands, during a ceremony on Tuesday at the Legazpi City Convention Center.
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)-Bicol, in partnership with Senator Imee Marcos, facilitated the distribution of land titles and Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (CoCRoM) to beneficiaries from Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Catanduanes. The awarded land titles cover approximately 5,397.37 hectares of agricultural land.
Senator Marcos highlighted the significance of the event in empowering farmers to focus on productive agriculture without the burden of financial liabilities. “Through the Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) and e-titles under the Support to Parcelization of Land for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project, your land is now free of debt, and you hold the title to your hard-earned property,” she said in Filipino.
The initiative falls under the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (Republic Act No. 11953), signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 7, 2023, which forgives unpaid debts on agricultural land under agrarian reform programs.
Beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the relief. Lorenzo Bronola from Bacon, Sorsogon, shared his appreciation for the cancellation of PHP261,558 in debts for his 29,088 square meters of farmland. “It’s a relief not to worry about unpaid loans and amortizations anymore,” he said.
Similarly, Manuel Camacho from Ligao City, Albay, celebrated the cancellation of his PHP90,000 amortization. “This assistance allows me to redirect funds meant for LandBank to other important needs,” he noted.
For Renato Calizar of Bagamanoc, Catanduanes, the title to his 22,315 square meters of land brings peace of mind. “Farming is now much easier without the fear of debts hanging over me,” he said.
DAR-5 reported that between July 2022 and October 2024, the agency awarded 8,515 land titles to 7,938 ARBs in the Bicol Region, covering 13,230.90 hectares of agricultural land.