ILOILO – More than 1,200 farmers from eight Iloilo towns are now free from land debt burdens under the New Agrarian Emancipation Act.
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed 2,064 Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (CoCRoMs), covering 1,378 hectares across Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dumangas, Duenas, San Miguel, Leon, and Alimodian from April 23 to 28.
The debt relief, amounting to ₱91.5 million, benefited 1,286 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) holding individual land titles. Iloilo Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Harriet Loot said the recipients were “very grateful” as they are now only responsible for paying real property taxes.
Loot added that ARBs with collective Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) are still waiting for their CoCRoMs and are currently considered “unclassified” under the program.
The debt condonation is part of Republic Act No. 11953, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 7, 2023. The law aims to increase agricultural productivity by freeing ARBs from amortization obligations.
DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III emphasized the government’s hope that the freed lands will boost food security. “Their contribution to our food self-sufficiency program far outweighs the value of the condoned debt,” he said.
