DAR’s Estrella cautions agrarian reform beneficiaries against selling lands

Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III on Friday warned agrarian reform beneficiaries against selling their lands following the signing of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act.

At a press conference, Estrella stressed that under the law, beneficiaries are not allowed to sell their lands for the next 10 years.

"Unti-unti na namin na pinapayuhan ang ating mga agrarian reform beneficiaries na ayon sa batas, mayroon hong, kailangan naiabot sa kanila ang kanilang titulo, kailangan maghintay sila ng sampung taon bago nila maibenta ang lupa sa iba," Estrella said.

(We caution agrarian reform beneficiaries that under the law, they need to wait 10 years before they could sell their lands.)

"Sapagkat kapag nalaman po ng Agrarian Reform [Department] na kanilang binenta ang lupa nila na hindi pa lumalagpas ng sampung taon ay babawiin po ng pamahalaan at ibibigay natin sa ibang beneficiary ang lupa po," he explained.

(Because if the department learns that they sell the land, we will get them back and we will give them to other beneficiaries.)

Earlier in the day, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which will condone the amortization of principal payments, interest and penalties on land tilled by farmers.

Republic Act No. 11953 will benefit 610,054 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) as it writes off P57,557 billion of their loans. These farmers have been tilling a total of 1,173,101.57 hectares of agrarian reform lands.

In his speech during the signing of the law, Marcos mentioned that it was the dream of his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., to give Filipino farmers a better life.

"Let us work together to realize this dream — our dream, as it was my father's dream — to give every Filipino farmer and his or her family, a life beyond mere survival; a life free from want, from hunger, or fear of the future; a life of dignity, abundance and prosperity," he said.

Beneficiary

Among the beneficiaries was 76-year-old Loreto Bautista from Calaca, Batangas. He recalled that he started helping his father till the land when he was still ten-years-old, during the time of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Bautista said it was worth the wait as the condoning of debts is a huge help for his family and their expenses. Bautista said he is very happy that he now owns the land.

"Aba eh di malaking tulong ‘to, na sarili na ang sinasaka," Bautista said in an interview.

[This is a huge help, that we now own the land being tilled.]

Bautista said he could earn P100,000 on a yearly basis. However, he will still give a portion of this to the landlord and he will also shoulder the expenses needed for farming. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News