One thousand Dabawenyo farmers were awarded electronic land title (e-title) with the ceremony spearheaded by Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao Leo Tereso Magno at Arcadia Event Center in Davao City on Friday.
The farmers that were awarded their e-titles are Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs), who had previously acquired their Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
Magno advised the farmers to take care of the land and till them to help them alleviate their family’s economic situation.
He said the awarding of the e-titles is part of the campaign promise of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. that he will speed up the distribution of land ownership.
Magno also congratulated DAR Sec. Conrado Estrella III for his hard work and efforts in pursuing a better life for the farmers.
“To our dearest DAR Sec. Conrado Estrella III, a very good friend of mine. Your effort has now paid off. 1,000 farmers now received their e-titles. This is because of your perseverance to help our farmers,” he said.
Magno told the farmers that the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao would always be willing to help them lobby their concerns to the Office of the President through the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP).
Meanwhile, the said awarding coincided with the enactment of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act which makes the farmers debt-free.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday signed a new law that will cancel the loans of more than 600,000 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) worth more than ₱57 billion.
Through Republic Act (RA) 11953, or the “New Agrarian Emancipation Act” condones the amortization of principal payments, interests, and penalties on the land they are presently tilling.
Under current agrarian laws, ARBs are required to pay for the land awarded to them in annual installments with 6 percent interest over 30 years.
“Through the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, the farmers can now devote more resources to their lands instead of paying their debts to the government,” Magno said.
