House Speaker Martin Romualdez (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Speaker’s office, MANILA BULLETIN)

President Marcos displayed his commitment to the local agriculture sector Tuesday, Sept. 12 by signing an Executive Order (EO) extending for two years the moratorium on the debt payment of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) not covered by the recently-enacted New Agrarian Emancipation Act (NAEA).

This, as House Speaker Martin Romualdez praised the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for submitting the implementing rules and Rregulations of the NAEA (Republic Act No. 11953) 15 days before the prescribed deadline.

The IRR was presented to Marcos on the same day as the EO signing.

“The extension of the moratorium on the payment of the amortization and principal on the debt of our agrarian reform beneficiaries is a demonstration of the commitment of the administration of President Marcos to their welfare and the growth of our agricultural sector,” Romualdez said.

“DAR’s early submission of the IRR is a significant step towards fulfilling the promise of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act to uplift the life of our farmers, revitalize our agricultural sector, and provide affordable food for every family,” he noted.

Romualdez said the moratorium would benefit some 129,059 ARBs who did not reach the cut-off period of July 24, 2023, provided under RA No.11953 to qualify for agrarian debt condonation. These ARBs are estimated to till 158,209 hectares of land.

The condonation of agrarian reform debt under the NAEA, on the other hand, would benefit some 610,054 ARBs who incurred an estimated P57.55 billion in unpaid amortization under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). It also terminates P206.247 million in unpaid compensation to landowners by 10,201 ARBs.

“The next step is aiding them to those objectives by providing them with or giving them access to credit, technology, equipment, inputs, and other vital support services. Let us leave them to fend for themselves,” the Speaker said.

Earlier, Romualdez expressed confidence that RA No.11953 would contribute immensely to the attainment of the country’s rice sufficiency.

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte, majority leader of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA), joined Romualdez in welcoming the completion of the IRR of RA No.11953.

This will speed up the modernization of Philippine agriculture and boost local farmers’ yields and income, which is “in keeping with his (Marcos) government’s agenda to achieve food security, if not self-sufficiency, and make economic growth sustainable and inclusive for all Filipinos, including those in the agriculture sector,” said Villafuerte.

It also underscores the President’s commitment not to leave any Filipino behind in his government’s quest for high and inclusive growth, he said.

He futher said tha it "completes the genuine intent of the Congress to free our farmers from their bondage to generational poverty by condoning their CARP debts, which will gain them access to rural credit that will, in turn, let them make their lands more productive and boost their crop yields".