Finally free from debt: Romualdez explains importance of proposed ARB emancipation law
(Keith Bacongco/ MANILA BULLETIN)
House Speaker Martin Romualdez explained on Friday, May 26 the importance of the proposed New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which is poised to be enacted next by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. Embodied in House Bill (HB) No. 6336, the measure seeks to condone the agrarian reform beneficiaries' (ARBs) debt to the government amounting to P57.557 billion. It was among the 31 measures that the House has approved on third and final reading, out of the 42 priority measures that Marcos had identified through the Legislative-Executive Advisory Council (LEDAC). “When our farmers are freed from the burden of debt, they would be able to invest more in their land and improve their productivity. This can lead to better yields and profits, which can help improve the lives of our farmers and their families,” Romualdez said. To emancipate means to set free. “This relief to hundreds of thousands of ARBs gains even more significance now that we are facing the twin challenges of increased prices of farm inputs, particularly fertilizers, and the harmful effects of climate change on the agriculture sector,” he noted. Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district representative, said the measure "would complement the various programs and assistance to our farmers the Department of Agriculture (DA) is implementing to uplift the lives of our farmers". “We need to provide our farmers all the support we can to promote increased productivity and help us attain food security. The House of Representatives will continue to explore more avenues to revitalize our agriculture sector,” he added. Marcos is the concurrent DA chief. The enactment of HB No.6336 will benefit of 610,054 ARBs tilling a total of 1,173,101.57 hectares of agrarian reform lands.