Zamboanga Peninsula farmers get land titles as Marcos signs new agrarian reform law
DIPOLOG, Philippines – Over 3,500 farners from the three provinces of Zamboanga Peninsula gathered in Dipolog City to join 28,556 fellow beneficiaries nationwide in witnessing the signing of Republic Act 11953, also known as the New Agrarian Reform Emancipation Act, by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
On Friday, June 7, a total of 3,532 beneficiaries from the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay received their land titles.
Agrarian reform beneficiaries across the country were able to witness the President’s signing of RA 11953 through the internet.
RA 11953 condones the unpaid amortization of the principal debts, including penalties, incurred by the beneficiaries. Under existing agrarian reform laws, beneficiaries are required to pay 6% interest on the awarded land for a period of 30 years.
Nationally, this law will condone approximately P57.56 billion of unpaid principal debts owed by 610,054 beneficiaries cultivating 1.173 million hectares.
Rolando Abne, 57, from Gutalac town, some 150 kilometers southwest of Dipolog, expressed his elation upon receiving the land title for the five-hectare farm he has been cultivating since he was 15 years old.
“Wala na man diay koy balayronon ani (I learned that I no longer have a financial obligation for acquiring the land),” Abne told Rappler.
He said he petitioned the government to gain ownership of the land he assumed in 2008 from a Chinese family.
Abne said his five-hectare property was previously used as pasture for cows and goats, but when the Chinese family left their town, he began planting coconuts, fruit trees, and corn.
Asked what he planned to do when he returned home, Abne replied, “I will have lechon,” referring to a Filipino roasted pig dish.
In his speech, Marcos said the holding of land titles is just the first step and that the goal of agrarian reform should extend beyond mere survival to creating a comfortable and fulfilling life. – Rappler.com