President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. envisions that the signing of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act will enhance the administration’s thrust toward food security, as an additional one million hectares of idle farmlands can now be cultivated by the farmers.
President Marcos signed into law on Friday the New Agrarian Emancipation Act in Malacañang. He also led the awarding of land titles to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).
In an interview after the signing ceremony, President Marcos said that the almost one million hectares of land that could now be used as a result of the condonation will greatly enhance the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) thrust toward food security.
For instance, with more or less two and a half million hectares of land intended for palay production, adding almost one million hectares could enhance production.
“Napakalaking bagay nito. Just think it’s two and a half million hectares, more or less, planted to rice. Now, it will be three and a half million planted to rice, wala pa doon ‘yung second cropping. Wala pa doon ‘yung third cropping,” the President told reporters.
“Kaya’t kasama ito sa ating pinoprograma ng Department of Agriculture para pagandahin ang ating produksyon, pababain ang cost of production para naman masasabi natin na sapat ang supply ng bigas para sa ating mga mamamayan sa buong taon,” he said.
According to the President, the goal of the government is to shield the country from external shocks that typically affect the domestic economy whenever there are disturbances or disruptions overseas.
The New Agrarian Emancipation Act, or Republic Act (RA) No.11593, will benefit around 610,054 Filipino farmers tilling more than 1.7 million hectares of agrarian reform lands, making them debt-free from P57.65 billion of agrarian arrears.
The law condones all unpaid amortizations, including interests and surcharges, for awarded lands under RA No. 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, and other agrarian reform laws.
These shall be condoned, provided that these ARBs have been indebted to the government as of end of 2022. *PND*
