LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — For the past 25 years, Jonathan Napolitano, 48, had been tilling a half-hectare land awarded to him as agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) in Bolinao town.
For many years, he had also been paying its amortization. The last time he checked, he still had an outstanding balance of P84,000.
But on Friday, Napolitano's debt was written off after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. handed him a Certificate of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (Cocrom) at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center here.
"I would like to thank our President for his visit and for all the programs that he organized for the well-being of the people," said Gov. Ramon Guico III in his welcome remarks to Marcos in his first visit to Pangasinan as president.
Guico thanked the President for distributing condonation certificates to Pangasinan farmers.
"The distribution of these condonation certificates is an important step in our journey toward agrarian justice. We are one with your aspirations," said Marcos in Filipino after he and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III signed the Cocrom before distributing them.
Napolitano was among the 3,558 farmer-beneficiaries in the Ilocos Region (Region 1) who received agrarian debt condonation certificates.
"I was a tenant before. Now, I'm a proud landowner," said Napolitano in Filipino.
He was one of the 12 ARBs who received their Cocrom directly from the President.
The historic event, which relieved thousands of farmers of their debt burdens, was the government's first initiative of its kind.
Out of the total beneficiaries, 3,161 are from Pangasinan, 246 from Ilocos Norte, 34 from Ilocos Sur and 117 from La Union.
Maria Ana Francisco, regional director of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Region 1, said the farmers are fortunate to receive their Cocrom directly from the President.
Cocroms serve as official proof of the condonation of ARBs' agrarian debts.
A total of P50.6 million in agrarian debt in the region will be covered, she said.
Francisco said that the debt condonation is one of the provisions of Republic Act 11953, also known as the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (NAEA), which was signed into law by the President on July 7, 2023.
The law is set to benefit over 600,000 Filipino farmer-beneficiaries nationwide, cultivating more than 1.7 million hectares of agrarian reform lands, he said. Some P57.56 billion worth of debts will be condoned.
Francisco said that the act condoned all unpaid outstanding loans, amortizations, interests, penalties and surcharges associated with the allocation of agricultural lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
"NAEA represents the most significant agrarian reform legislation enacted during President Marcos Jr.'s administration," Francisco said.
She said NAEA also covers the responsibility of settling the remaining debts owed to landowners for beneficiaries who received lands through the voluntary land transfer and direct payment schemes.
"The legislation not only provides land free-of-charge to landless farmers but also guarantees strategic support services to enhance farm productivity, boost incomes and improve the beneficiaries' quality of life," Francisco said.
She also noted that the President issued Executive Order 40, Series of 2023, which imposes a moratorium on land grant amortization payments for ARB until 2028 for those who received land after the passage of the NAEA.
The President also distributed a variety of farm machinery and equipment to farmer cooperatives and associations, in addition to distributing cash aid amounting to P10,000 each to 10 select beneficiaries from Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union.
All four provincial governments in Region 1 received the following presidential assistance: P48.76 million for Pangasinan, P50 million for Ilocos Norte, P43.33 million for Ilocos Sur and P42.9 million for La Union.
Some 4,600 beneficiaries consisting of farmers, fisherfolk and families also received P10,000 in cash aid, as well as additional cash grants and livelihood assistance from several government agencies participating in the event.
All those who attended the event also went home with 5 kilograms of rice each.
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