Will the lives of more than 610,000 farmer-beneficiaries of the government’s agrarian reform
program improve significantly in the years ahead with
the New Agrarian Reform Emancipation Act?
That would be the expected end-result of
President Marcos Jr.’s recent order to the Department
of Agrarian Reform to ensure the “smooth and immediate” enforcement of the New Agrarian Reform Emancipation Act.
What the new law does is to condone all
loans, including interest, penalties, and surcharges incurred by over 610,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries
(ARBs).
The condonation would cover at least 1.173
million hectares of land and an estimated P57.55 billion
in unpaid amortization.
It would also terminate P206.25 million in unpaid just compensation by 10,201 ARBs tilling 11,531
hectares of land acquired through voluntary land transfer or the direct payment scheme.
The President’s recent Executive Order extended for two years EO 4 which provides for a moratorium on the payment of the principal obligation and
interest on amortization payable by ARBs.
The two-year extension of the agrarian debt
moratorium will benefit some 129,059 ARBs whose
land awards did not reach the cut-off on July 24, 2023
to qualify for the condonation of agrarian debt.
New deal for farmers
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The extension of the moratorium on the payment of the amortization and principal on the debt of
ARBs will no doubt contribute to a marked improvement in their daily lives as they will have more income
to meet their daily needs.
ARB beneficiaries will be freed from the burden of onerous debts and instead reap the benefits
from the land they cultivate.
Apart from contributing to their well-being
and uplifting their quality of life, the New Agrarian Reform Emancipation Act will also re-energize the agricultural sector as a whole.
This will lead to greater farm productivity particularly at this time when weak harvests of palay and
other agricultural crops have jacked up the retail prices of essential foodstuffs and contributed to galloping
inflation.
At the same time, the administration should
continue to facilitate the delivery of support services to
all ARBs.
The farmers should be provided with adequate credit so they can gain access to modern farm
equipment and afford basic farm inputs such as seeds,
fertilizers and pesticides.
Other vital support services, including
post-harvest facilities and farm-to-market roads, will
make the lives of agrarian reform beneficiaries a lot
better after a long wait for deliverance from poverty.
