LUCENA CITY (PIA) – After decades of cultivating farmlands and helping feed thousands of families, nearly 4,300 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Quezon Province can finally claim the farmlands they tilled as their own.
This feat was achieved following the distribution of Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROM), led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) last November 29.
President Marcos assured the ARBs that all they have to do is improve the farmlands entrusted to them.
“Hindi niyo na po kailangan pang alalahanin ang mga babayaran ninyo kaugnay sa inyong lupang sinasaka. Ang iisipin na lamang ninyo kung paano ninyo mapapalago ang lupang inyong pinangangalagaan,”
(You no longer need to worry about payments related to the land you are farming. What you should focus on now is how to make the land you care for grow and prosper).
Marcos added: “Hangad namin na magbigay-daan ang mga sertipikong ito patungo sa kaginhawaan at kasaganahan ng ating mga Agrarian Reform beneficiary,”
(We hope that these certificates will pave the way towards comfort and prosperity for our agrarian reform beneficiaries).
The beneficiaries, many of whom come from generations of farmers, depend on the land they cultivate for their livelihood and daily needs.
Among them was Nenita Los Menendres of General Luna, a widowed farmer who has taken on the responsibility of caring for her children and grandchildren.
“Nagpapasalamat po kami ng marami at ‘yung aming lupa ay amin na. Malaking tulong ito kahit na kaming mag-iina na lang at wala na ang aking asawa ay malaking bagay na po ito sa pagkain at pag-aaral ng akin mga apo,”
(We are grateful now that the land is ours, and it’s free. This is a huge help, especially for me and my children, even without my husband. It will greatly provide food and support my grandchildren’s education).
“Mahal na Pangulo, maraming maraming salamat po dahil malaking bagay po itong aming nakamit. Sa ibinigay mo po sa aming lupa, maraming salamat po,”
(Dear Mr. President, thank you very much. This is a significant blessing for us. We deeply appreciate the land you have given us. Thank you so much) Nenita added.
Susan Regio, also from General Luna, could not contain her joy of finally being able to call the land – she and her family tilled for generations – her own. For Susan, to be given ownership over the land they nurtured with their own strength is a blessing.
“Wala po kaming pantustos dahil sa lupang iyan kami nakuha. Mabuti at napunta sa amin. Tuwang-tuwa kami, hanggang ngayon ang aming tuwa’t kasiyahan. Giginhawa nang kaunti ang aming buhay, at ang matitira ay ibibigay ko sa aking mga apo. Maraming maraming salamat po sa inyong ibinigay sa amin na ginhawa,”
(We had no means of support because we get everything from this land. It’s a blessing that it was given to us. We are overjoyed, and our happiness remains to this day. Our lives will improve, even just a little, and what remains, I will pass onto my grandchildren. Thank you very much for the relief and support you have given us).
Under Republic Act No. 11953, otherwise known as the New Agrarian Reform Emancipation Act, ARBs in Quezon Province no longer need to pay for the amortization, interests, and surcharges of their farmlands.
Primarily an agricultural province, Quezon is among the top producers of coconut in the Philippines, supplying 10 percent of the total supply nationwide.
According to the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Agriculture (SEARCA), more than 2,151 stakeholders including small farmers, crop dealers, and traders in the province rely on the coconut industry. (PB/PIA 4A)
