BALER, Aurora – A total of 38 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Aurora are now free from years of financial burden following the ₱1.5 million debt condonation granted by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) under the New Agrarian Emancipation Act.
Allan Quintela, a farmer from Casiguran, is among those who received Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (CoCROMs) that officially erased their unpaid amortizations and interest.
He said the condonation lifted a decades-long burden, allowing him to focus on improving his family’s livelihood.
“The erasure of almost 40 years of debt has given us renewed hope and an opportunity to further improve our farms and strengthen our family’s livelihood,” Quintela shared.
DAR Aurora Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Josephine Aguinaldo said the condonation covers 59 hectares of agricultural land that had long been tied to amortization payments.
“We hope the beneficiaries invest what they save into their farms and families so that this opportunity truly leads to lasting progress,” Aguinaldo said.
During the same event, Electronic Titles or E-Titles were also distributed to three individuals under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling or SPLIT project, which ensures greater ownership security for agrarian reform beneficiaries.
Aguinaldo added that DAR continues to extend various support programs to farmers, including access to credit facilities, capacity-building activities, and farm inputs to help them enhance productivity and profitability.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reaffirmed his commitment to fully implement the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, emphasizing that true land ownership and financial freedom are key to achieving rural development and food security.
Since the start of the program’s implementation in Aurora, DAR has continued to free more farmers from decades of amortization payments, empowering them to strengthen their livelihood and contribute to local food production. (CLJD/MAT, PIA Region 3-Aurora)