Inaprubahan sa third at final reading sa Senado ang Senate Bill No. 1850 kung saan walang babayaran na utang ang mga magsasaka at agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB).
Ayon sa aprubado na bill, hindi na kailangan magbayad ng utang at interes ang mga nabigyan ng sakahang lupa sa ilalim ng Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program noong Disyembre 31, 2022.
“Many farmers who were beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program have been waiting for their titles but they have been saddled by issues on how to pay their loans’ annual amortization, interests, including penalties and surcharges, which hinder their full ownership over their land. Without land in their name, these farmers cannot access credit as they lack collateral to secure the same,” pahayag ni Senador Cynthia Villar na chairperson ng Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform at ang principal sponsor ng bill.
Sa ilalim ng panukala, mawawala ang P57.5 billion na principal debt ng halos 610,054 ARB na nagsasaka sa 1,173,101.57 ektarya ng agrarian reform land.
Mawawala na rin ang principal loan na P14.5 billion ng 263,622 ARB na nagsasaka sa 409,206.91 ektarya ng agrarian reform land.
Naisumite na ng LandBank of the Philippines sa Kongreso ang pangalan at iba pang detalye ng utang ng mga ito.
Mapapasama ang P43.057 billion loan kapag naisumite ng LandBank at Department of Agrarian Reform ang mga detalye ng pagkakautang ng 346,432 ARB na sumasaka sa 763,894.66 ektarya ng agrarian reform land.
“This bill seeks to help alleviate the plight of ARBs, who are farmers; for them to recover and overcome the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis, the devastating African swine fever, the ongoing avian influenza, the increasing cost of fertilizer, fuel, and other farm inputs, and climate change,” ayon kay Villar.
“Condoning their amortization will provide them the much-needed financial resources that shall help them develop their farms, increase their productivity and advance an agriculture-driven economy, improve the lives and that of their families, reduce poverty, accelerate rural development and promote food security,” aniya.
Bilang co-sponsor ng bill, sinabi ni Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva na ang pagkakalaya ng mga ARB mula sa kanilang utang ay kinakailangan para matugunan ang paghihirap at mapabuti ang buhay ng mga magsasakang Pilipino.
“The passage of the bill shows how the Senate recognizes the urgency of addressing the concerns of the agriculture sector,” iginiit niya.
“It is our hope that this important measure will help end the cyclical and generational poverty among our ARBs. The condonation of a total of P57.557 billion principal debt of 610,054 ARBs tilling a total of 1.17 million hectares shall emancipate them from debt burden and shall help them refocus their resources and energies instead to increasing their productivity and improving their lives,” dagdag ni Villanueva.
Kasama rin sa mga co-sponsor at co-author ng panukala sina Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senador Sonny Angara, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Imee Marcos, Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, at Robinhood “Robin” Padilla.
Photo credit: Department of Agrarian Reform website