Villar lauds PBBM signing of law freeing 600K farmers from debt

Sen. Cynthia Villar has welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signing into law of a bill condoning loans of farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).

On Friday, the President signed Republic Act No.11953 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which condones all principal and interests of loans of 610,054 ARBs arising from the award of agricultural lands under the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

"I thank President Marcos for prioritizing the needs of vulnerable populations in the agriculture sector. With this law, our farmers and their beneficiaries are being offered a fresh start, a way out in a cycle of debt and poverty," Villar, who was the principal sponsor of the measure.

Villar added that condoning farmers' amortization "will provide them much-needed financial resources that shall help them develop their farms, increase their productivity, and advance an agriculture-driven economy to accelerate rural development and promote food security."

The chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, said farmers and farmworkers are waiting for the enactment of this measure, which will make possible their dream of receiving their land titles.

"Without land in their name, our farmers cannot access credit as they lack collateral to secure the same," Villar said.

With the enactment into law, the P57.5 billion principal debt of 610,054 ARBs, tilling a total of 1,173,101.57 hectares of agrarian reform lands would be written off. The principal loan of P14.5 billion, including interests, penalties and surcharges of 263,622 ARBs, tilling 409,206.91 hectares of agrarian reform lands, whose names and other loan details were already submitted by the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to Congress, shall be condoned outright.

The inclusion of the remaining P43.057 billion loan would take effect upon submission by the LBP and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of details of the indebtedness to government of the 346,432 ARBs, tilling 763,894.66 hectares of agrarian reform lands.

Also, under the bill, all cases related to the nonpayment of loans of ARBs with the DAR shall be dismissed motu proprio. They will be exempted from payment of estate tax.

The law also mandates the inclusion of ARBs to the Department of Agriculture's Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture, and will be provided with all support services for farmers.

"This law will help alleviate the plight of ARBs, who are farmers; for them to recover and overcome the fallout of the COVID-19 crisis, the devastating African swine fever, the ongoing avian influenza, the increasing cost of fertilizer, fuel, and other farm inputs, and climate change," Villar said.

Villar, pinuri ang paglagda ni PBBM sa batas para palayain ang 600K magsasaka sa kanilang utang

IKINAGALAK ni Sen. Cynthia Villar ang paglagda ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa bill upang mabura ang utang ng mga magsasaka at agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).

Nilagdaan ng Pangulo noong Biyernes ang Republic Act No. 11953 o ang 'New Agrarian Emancipation Act' na nagpapawalang bisa sa lahat principal at interes ng utang ng may 610,054 ARBs. Binigyan ang mga ito ng agricultural land sa ilalim ng Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

"I thank President Marcos for prioritizing the needs of vulnerable populations in the agriculture sector. With this law, our farmers and their beneficiaries are being offered a fresh start, a way out in a cycle of debt and poverty," ani Villar, principal sponsor ng panukalang batas.

Ipinahayag niya na ang pag-condone sa amortization "will provide them much-needed financial resources that shall help them develop their farms, increase their productivity, and advance an agriculture-driven economy to accelerate rural development and promote food security."

Sinabi rin ng chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, na matagal nang hinintay ng mga magsasaka at

farmworkers ang pagsasabatas ng bill para matupad ang pangarap na maging sa kanila ang lupang sinasaka.

"Without land in their name, our farmers cannot access credit as they lack collateral to secure the same," giit ni Villar

Sa ilalim ng batas, mawawala na ang P57.5 billion principal debt ng 610,054 ARBs na sumasaka sa 1,173,101.57 ektaryang agrarian reform lands. Wala na rin ang P14.5 billion principal loan, interes, multa at surcharges ng 263,622 ARBs na nagsasaka sa 409,206.91 ektaryang lupa. Hindi na rin sila pagbabayadin ng estate tax.

Naisumite na rin ng Land Bank of the Philippines sa Kongreso ang mga pangalan at iba pang detalye ng utang.

"The inclusion of the remaining P43.057 billion loan would take effect upon submission by the LBP and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of details of the indebtedness to government of the 346,432 ARBs, tilling 763,894.66 hectares of agrarian reform lands."

Sa ilalim ng batas, mababalewala rin ang lahat ng kaso ng ARBs dahil sa hindi pagbabayad ng utang. Makakasama sila sa Department of Agriculture Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture para mabigyan ng lahat ng suporta.

"This law will help alleviate the plight of ARBs, who are farmers; for them to recover and overcome the fallout of the COVID-19 crisis, the devastating African swine fever, the ongoing avian influenza, the increasing cost of fertilizer, fuel, and other farm inputs, and climate change," sabi pa ni Villar.