LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — A total of 3,558 farmer-beneficiaries are set to receive agrarian debt condonation certificates to be distributed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday at the Narciso Ramos Sports gymnasium and Civic Center.
Out of the total beneficiaries, 3,161 are from Pangasinan, 246 from Ilocos Norte, 34 from Ilocos Sur, and 117 from La Union.
This historic event marks the country’s first initiative of its kind, relieving thousands of farmers of their debt burdens since they received land grants from the government.
According to Maria Ana Francisco, regional director of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Region 1, the distribution of the certificates is part of Republic Act No. 11953, also known as the “New Agrarian Emancipation Act (NAEA).”
She said the act condones all unpaid outstanding loans, amortizations, interests, penalties, and surcharges associated with the allocation of agricultural lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
“NAEA represents the most significant agrarian reform legislation enacted during President Marcos Jr..’s administration,” Francisco stated.
She said NAEA also covers the responsibility of settling the remaining debts owed to landowners for beneficiaries who received lands through the voluntary land transfer and direct payment schemes.
Further, she said that the legislation not only provides land free-of-charge to landless farmers but also guarantees strategic support services to enhance farm productivity, boost incomes, and improve the beneficiaries’ quality of life.
She also noted that the President issued Executive Order No. 40, Series of 2023, which imposes a moratorium on land grant amortization payments for agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) until 2028 for those who received land after the passage of the NAEA.
Francisco said ARBs in the Ilocos Region are particularly fortunate to receive their Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROM) directly from the President.
COCROMs serve as official proof of the condonation of ARBs’ agrarian debts.
A total of P50.6 million in agrarian debt will be covered, benefiting 3,558 farmers from Ilocos and Pangasinan.
Ramon Zaratan, 67, an agrarian reform beneficiary from Barangay Portic in Bugallon, Pangasinan, expressed his delight at the DAR announcement.
“Masayang-masaya ako kasi may ibibigay si Mr. President. ‘Yong ibibigay ni Presidente ay aalagaan namin kasi ngayon lang kami makatanggap ng lupa” (I’m very happy because President Marcos is giving us something, and it’s the first time I’ll get to meet him. We will take great care of what the President gives us, as it’s the first time we’re receiving land), Zaratan told the Philippine Information Agency. (AMB/EMSA/PIA Pangasinan)