Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 7) — The new law which will write off loans of more than 600,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries worth over ₱57 billion will not result in a massive selling of agrarian lands, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III said on Friday.
“I don’t think so,” Estrella told reporters when asked if the newly signed Republic Act 11953 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act would possibly let farmers sell the lands awarded to them.
READ: Marcos signs New Agrarian Emancipation Act
“Unti-unti na namin na pinapayuhan ang ating mga agrarian reform beneficiaries na ayon sa batas, kapag naabot sa kanila ang titulo, kailangan maghintay sila ng 10 taon bago maibenta ang lupa sa iba,” he said.
“Sapagkat ‘pag nalaman po ng agrarian reform [department] na kanilang ibinenta ang lupa nila na hindi pa lumalampas ang sampung taon, babawiin po ng pamahalaan at ibibigay natin sa ibang beneficiary ang lupa,” he added.
[Translation: We are now starting to brief agrarian reform beneficiaries that according to the law, after the titles are given to them, they need to wait 10 years before they can sell the lands. If the department learns they sold the land before the 10-year period, we will reclaim it and give it to other beneficiaries.]
The New Agrarian Emancipation Act will benefit 610,054 agrarian reform beneficiaries, who owe the Land Bank of the Philippines ₱57.56 billion. This covers 1,173,101.575 hectares of agrarian reform lands.
For President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., land title distribution is insufficient to address farmers’ productivity.
“Ang nagiging dahilan kung bakit ang nabibigyan ng titulo ay ipinagbibili kaagad ‘yung lupa nila ay dahil wala silang pambayad ng inputs, hindi sila makautang,” he told reporters.
[Translation: The reason why those farmers awarded with titles immediately sell their lands is because they don’t have the money to buy or borrow money for inputs.]
Marcos said the government studied the situation of other countries in distributing land titles to farmers and found that farmers need more support to actually till the awarded lands.
