The Senate approved on second reading the proposed measure to condone the unpaid debt of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) of the government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Senator Cynthia Villar sponsored Senate Bill No. (SBN) 1850 or the “New Agrarian Emancipation Act”, which seeks to condone all loans including interests, penalties and surcharges, arising from the award of agricultural lands under the CARP.

Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, said the measure shall cover two types of loans of the ARBs. These include loans of ARBs who have Agrarian Reform Receivables (ARR) Account with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and those who have not paid or have incomplete payments of their amortization on the principal, interests, penalties and surcharges of their lands under Presidential Decree 27, and subsequent amendments to Republic Act No. 6657.

Under the proposed law, the balances of unpaid obligations of ARBs to landowners shall be assumed by the LBP.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) shall issue a certificate of condonation to be annotated on the ARB’s emancipation patent (EP) or certificate of land ownership award (CLOA), which is the equivalent of a land title.

"This involves 1,173,101.574 hectares of agricultural land with 57.557 billion principal debt which has 610,054 ARBs," Villar said.

Villar said all cases related to the non-payment of loans of ARBs with the DAR shall be dismissed and that ARBs will be exempted from payment of estate taxes.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III fully supports the passage of the said legislation stating that this supports the president’s commitment to emancipate agrarian reform beneficiaries from agrarian reform debt burden.

Estrella noted that upon approval of the bill, future ARBs shall be awarded lands without any additional costs or financial obligations on their part.

Atty. Luis Meinrado C. Pañgulayan, Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research Office (PPRO) said aside from Villar, the co-authors of the bill include Senators and Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Francis G. Escudero and Imee R. Marcos. Senators Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay, Christopher Lawrence T. Go, Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, Robinhood C. Padilla and Loren Legarda moved to co- author the said bill.

Pañgulayan said that the period for interpellation with Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and Senator Risa Hontiveros is scheduled next week.

Inaprubahan ng Senado sa ikalawang pagbasa ang panukalang na magbubura sa hindi nababayarang utang ng mga agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) ng Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) ng pamahalaan.

Si Senador Cynthia Villar ang nag-sponsor ng Senate Bill No. (SBN) 1850 o ang “New Agrarian Emancipation Act”, na naglalayong hindi na pabayaran ang lahat ng pautang kabilang ang mga interes, multa at interes, mula sa mga lupang pang-agrikultural na ipinagkaloob sa ilalim ng CARP.

Sinabi ni Villar, na namumuno sa Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, na nasasaklawan ng panukala ang dalawang uri ng pautang ng ARBs. Kabilang dito ang mga pautang sa mga ARB na mayroong Agrarian Reform Receivables (ARR) Account sa Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) at ang mga hindi pa nakapagbayad o hindi kumpletong pagbabayad ng kanilang amortisasyon sa prinsipal, interes, multa at surcharge ng kanilang mga lupain sa ilalim. Presidential Decree 27, at mga kasunod na pagbabago sa Republic Act No. 6657.

Sa ilalim ng iminungkahing batas, ang mga balanse ng hindi nabayarang obligasyon ng mga ARB sa mga may-ari ng lupa ay sasaluhin ng LBP.

Ang Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) ay maglalabas ng certificate of condonation na ilalagay sa emancipation patent (EP) o certificate of land ownership award (CLOA) ng ARB, na katumbas ng titulo ng lupa.

"Ito ay kinasasangkutan ng 1,173,101.574 ektarya ng lupang agrikultural na may 57.557 bilyong principal na pautang na mayroong 610,054 ARBs," ani Villar.

Sinabi ni Villar na ang lahat ng mga kaso na may kaugnayan sa hindi pagbabayad ng mga pautang ng ARB sa DAR ay dapat i-dismiss at ang mga ARB ay hindi na pagbabayarin ng estate taxes.

Buo ang suporta ni Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III sa pagpasa ng nasabing batas na nagsabing ito ay sumusuporta sa pangako ng pangulo na palayain ang mga agrarian reform beneficiaries mula sa pasanin sa utang ng repormang agraryo.

Nabanggit ni Estrella na sa pag-apruba ng panukalang batas, ang mga susunod na ARB ay pagkakalooban ng mga lupain nang walang anumang karagdagang gastos o obligasyong pinansyal sa kanilang bahagi.

Sinabi ni Atty. Sinabi ni Luis Meinrado C. Pañgulayan, Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research Office (PPRO) na bukod kay Villar, kasama sa mga co-authors ng panukalang batas sina Senador at Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Francis G. Escudero at Imee R. Marcos. Sina Senador Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay, Christopher Lawrence T. Go, Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, Robinhood C. Padilla at Loren Legarda ay naghain na maging co-author ng nasabing panukalang batas.

Sinabi ni Pañgulayan na nakatakda sa susunod na linggo ang period for interpellation nina Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III at Senator Risa Hontiveros.