A year after the enactment of Republic Act No. 11953 or the “New Agrarian Emancipation Act” which frees 610,054 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) from debt, including interests, penalties, and surcharges incurred, the law’s principal author, Rep. Wilbert “Manoy” T. Lee, highlighted how the legislation drastically changed the lives of the beneficiaries.
Ahead of the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Manoy’s team spoke to several ARBs in Bulacan and Nueva Ecija to know how the law, enacted on July 7, 2023, helped their lives.
The said ARBs said it gave them peace of mind as they no longer needed to pay for their loans. The law likewise gave them an opportunity to improve their lives.
Gilbert Miranda, a 48-year-old farmer from Bulacan, shared that he was freed from his loan amounting to P300,000 and was able to concentrate on farming which led to a higher yield.
“Noon, dahil gipit sa pataba, umaani lang kami ng 60 cavans per hectare. Ngayon, nadagdagan ang pambili namin ng pataba, insecticide, nagkaroon ng improvement ang aming pagsasaka. Umaani na kami ng halos 100 [cavans] per hectare,” Miranda said.
Thanking Lee, Miranda further said: “Pinasasalamatan ko nga si Manoy Wilbert Lee dahil pinush niya itong batas na ito para makatulong sa aming mga magsasaka.”
“Kapag nag-invest tayo sa dagdag na suporta sa ating magsasaka, tataas ang lokal na produksyon, hindi na tayo masyadong aasa sa importation, bababa ang presyo ng pagkain at iba pang bilihin, gagaan ang pasanin ng ating mga kababayan, Winner Tayo Lahat.”
For Arlene Perez who started farming at a young age, the law paved the way to solve their family’s P2-million-loan.
“Umaabot sa limang ektarya ang lupang sinasaka ng pamilya namin. Siguro aabot ng P2 milyon ang utang na babayaran namin kaya napakalaking halaga talaga,” she said.
Due to the measure, Arlene’s family was able to concentrate more on livelihood and health.
“Napakalaking tulong po nito sa amin. Nagkaroon po kami ng malaking kita. Dahil dito, magagamit namin ang kita namin… sa mga supply na kailangan namin sa pagtatanim, mga abono at saka mga insecticides. Iyon po ay ilan sa mga hindi na namin iniintindi,” the Bulacan farmer said.
“Nagkaka-edad na rin kami, kaya gamit yung ibang kita, nabibigyan na namin ng pansin ngayon ang aming kalusugan kasi nakakapagpa-check up na kami, napaglalaanan na namin ‘yung mga pangangailangan namin sa kalusugan,” she added.
Other ARBs allotted the income they were supposed to use for their loans to the education of their children.
For instance, 51-year-old Michael Villanueva who has been farming for 20 years got freed from his P350,000-peso debt. According to him, the lighter load brought about by being condoned helped the education of his children who are now working.
“Tulong po ito sa pag-aaral ng aking mga anak. Awa ng Diyos, nakatapos na lahat, nagtatrabaho na rin po,” Villanueva said.
He also thanked Lee for spearheading RA 11953 saying, “Lahat ng mga inabutan ng condonation na ito, nabigyan ng benepisyo. Nagkaroon ng malaking biyaya na hindi na magbigay sa Landbank at ang kaunting pera na iyon ay maipon para sa kanilang panggastos at pagtatanim ng palay,” he added.
For Nueva Ecija farmer Lea Eugenio, the said measure helped her to buy fertilizers.
“Hindi na kami uutang para lang makabili ng abono,” she shared.
This was echoed by Edgardo de Dios who has been farming for four decades, saying “Iyon pong imbes na ibabayad namin [sa utang], nagamit namin na puhunan sa aming pagsasaka lalo na sa pagpapaunlad at pagpapalaki ng ani.”
Lee welcomed this development in the lives of the farmers whom he considers “food security soldiers,” but noted that more has to be done to ensure their productivity and growth in the agriculture sector, which will also help in addressing inflation.
“Supporting farmers is the best defense against inflation. Food inflation ang main contributor sa pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin.
Kapag nag-invest tayo sa dagdag na suporta sa ating magsasaka, tataas ang lokal na produksyon, hindi na tayo masyadong aasa sa importation, bababa ang presyo ng pagkain at iba pang bilihin, gagaan ang pasanin ng ating mga kababayan, Winner Tayo Lahat” the solon from Bicol said.
“Filipinos deserve better so we should demand more from the government. Tulad ng pagpasa sa New Agrarian Emancipation Act, umaasa tayong maisasama rin sa SONA ng Pangulo at sa mga prayoridad ng gobyernong ipatupad ang mga panukalang makatutulong sa mga magsasaka at sa buong sektor ng agrikultura, tulad ng isinusulong natin na Kadiwa Law, dagdag na post-harvest facilities, farm equipment at mechanization,” Lee remarked.
Lee is the principal author of House Bill (HB) No. 3957 or the “Kadiwa Agri-Food Terminal Act”, which mandates the establishment of Kadiwa centers in every city and municipality.
He is also the principal author of HB 3958 or the “Post-Harvest Facilities Support Act”, which mandates the government to fund the construction of warehouses, cold storages, rice mills, transport facilities, dryers and threshers, among others.
Lee also principally authored RA 11985 or the “Philippine Salt Industry Development Act”, which is expected to generate 5,000 to 10,000 jobs, especially in rural areas.
