By: Atty. Gregorio B. Austral, CPA

The New Agrarian Emancipation Act

More than 600,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries were freed from debt with the
signing into law of the potentially life-changing New Agrarian Emancipation Act in July
this year. The law condones P57.65 billion unpaid debts of the beneficiaries of the
government’s agrarian reform program.
The Act shall cover the condonation of P57.557 billion principal debt of 610,054
Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs), tilling a total of 1,173,101.57 hectares of agrarian
reform lands.
The principal loan of P14.5 billion, including interests, penalties and surcharges,
of the 263,622 ARBs, tilling 409,206.91 hectares of agrarian reform lands, whose names
and other loan details were already submitted by the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP)
to Congress, shall be condoned outright under this Act. However, the inclusion of the
remaining P43.057 billion loan in this section shall take effect only upon submission by
the LBP and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of details of the indebtedness to
Government of the 346,432 ARBs, tilling 763,894.66 hectares of agrarian reform lands,
contained in a list, as provided for in the next paragraph of this section.
Upon the effectivity of the Act, the individual loans of ARBs, including interests,
penalties and surcharges, secured under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
(CARP) or from other agrarian reform programs or laws, are hereby condoned and
written off by the Government, thereby relieving them from the burden of payment
thereof: Provided, That these ARBs shall have been indebted to Government as of the
effectivity of this Act: Provided, further, That the LBP and the DAR shall submit the
detailed list of their actual loans subject for condonation, under the collective Certificate
of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs), together with the pertinent information such as
name of ARBs; amount of loan plus penalties, interests, and surcharges; location;
hectarage; and other relevant information, to the concerned committees of the Senate
and House of Representatives, within the three (3)-year period from the effectivity of
this Act, which shall then make the submission part of the Congressional Records of this
Act: Provided, furthermore, That the DAR shall thereafter issue, whenever necessary, a
Certificate of Condonation which shall be annotated on the Emancipation Patent (EP),
CLOA based on the applicable agrarian reform law: Provided, finally, That condonation
as provided herein shall lift all mortgage liens, attached to the land acquired, in favor of
the National Government, as represented by the LBP. [Sec. 2, R.A. 11953]
The appropriate Registry of Deeds shall register the EP, the CLOA, or any other
title issued pursuant to the applicable agrarian reform law within sixty (60) days from
the issuance thereof in the name of the ARB. It shall likewise annotate the Notice of
Condonation on all the affected EPs, CLOAs, or any other title issued pursuant to the
applicable agrarian reform law within sixty (60) days from issuance by the DAR. [Sec.
8].
These are the most essential features of R.A. 11953 recently signed by President
Bongbong Marcos, Jr.