Weeks before the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) highlighted significant progress on genuine agrarian emancipation and rural upliftment, as promised under the Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) vision.

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III said during the recent distribution of land titles in Mandaue City that the agency aims to complete the distribution of 400,000 land titles by the end of 2025, thereby freeing more families from debt and strengthening their stake in the nation’s food security.

“Maaaring sabihin nilang imposible ito, pero sa ating determinasyon at sa buong suporta ng Pangulo, makakamit natin ang layuning ito (They may say it’s impossible, but with our determination and the full support of the President, we can achieve this goal),” Estrella said.

He said that with the strong support of President Marcos, thousands of farmers nationwide have already been freed from decades-old debts and had secured their rights to the land they till.

In July 2023, President Marcos signed Republic Act 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (NAEA), liberating more than 610,000 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) from PHP57.5 billion in unpaid land amortizations, including interest, surcharges, and estate taxes, covering 1.17 million hectares of farmland.

To achieve this, Estrella said the DAR expedites the issuance of land titles as well as the cancellation of land debts of all ARBs in the country.

“Hindi pa ho kami kontento na mabura ang utang ninyo. Sasabihin natin, may lupa na kami ngayon, sarili na namin ang lupang ito, binura na ang aming utang kaya magkakaroon kami ng karagdagang kita (And we are not satisfied with just wiping out your debt. We want you to say, we now have land and this land is our own, our debt has been wiped out, and so could now earn more),” he said.

Decades of debt erased

Just this July, the DAR distributed 239 land titles covering 215.65 hectares to 159 ARBs in Bohol, and granted 2,464 Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROMs) to 1,741 ARBs, wiping out PHP50.42 million in unpaid amortizations for 2,092.60 hectares of farm land.

In Cebu, 326 ARBs have been awarded 570 Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) and e-titles for 624.97 hectares, while 3,858 COCROMs were given to 3,544 farmers, erasing PHP284.54 million in debts covering 5,170.02 hectares.

In Negros Island Region, the DAR issued 19,244 COCROMs, condoning PHP1.83 billion in ARB land debts for 8,860.15 hectares.

Individual titles

Aside from debt relief, the DAR said it is also fast-tracking its Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project, which converts collective CLOAs into individual titles to guarantee clear ownership.

On June 30, the DAR-Bohol completed a four-day validation in Barangay San Pascua of 73.2629 hectares, covered 96.4385 hectares in Ubay, and 23.1756 hectares in Sudlon.

To date, DAR said three landholdings covering 104.6267 hectares have been validated in Bohol, while another 343 landholdings covering 613.1125 hectares are lined up for validation this year.

Estrella said that by subdividing collective CLOAs and issuing individual titles, ARBs are empowered with legal and secure land rights.

“With their own land, they can invest more, earn better, and improve their lives,” he said.

Infra, irrigation, market access

To complement initiatives that secure tenure, the DAR has also enhanced its support services to boost farm productivity.

In Isabela, PHP50 million worth of three farm-to-market roads (FMRs) were turned over in Delfin Albano, including a PHP20-million Solar-Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) in Tumauini town to irrigate 31 hectares of rice land.

In Abra, a total of PHP3.6 million worth of farm machinery and livelihood tools were given to eight agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs).

FMRs worth PHP500 million and totaling 9.2 km were also turned over in Polangui, Albay, while livelihood and skills training were also provided to farmers in Zamboanga del Norte, in partnership with TESDA, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Trade and Industry.

On track to 400K titles

As of May 2025, the DAR has distributed 203,765 land titles covering 248,022 hectares, benefiting nearly 198,200 ARBs.

The DAR is confident of hitting its target of 400,000 titles by the end of 2025.

Estrella assured that under the Bagong Pilipinas, no farmer would be left behind, with efforts to accelerate debt condonation to individual titling under SPLIT, to farm roads, irrigation, equipment, and training.

Estrella said DAR’s achievements are giving farmers not just ownership, but the means to help Filipino farmers build a dignified life. (PNA)