President's call to emancipate ARBs from debt burden echoed by Secretary Estrella at the House of Representatives

Secretary of Agrarian Reform Conrado M. Estrella III visited the House of Representatives this week to ascertain the recent developments in the passage of the bill leading to the condonation of the loans of agrarian reform beneficiaries stemming from the award of agricultural lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Secretary Estrella reiterated the pronouncements of the President in his First State of the Nation Address last year on the need to continue the program and to emancipate the ARBs from the debt burden. The House of Representatives and the Senate already have their respective bills, which seek to address the matter.

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez received Secretary Estrella together with House Committe on Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Chair Representative Solomon R. Chungalao and Representative Angelo Marcos Barba.

DAR Undersecretaries Marilyn Barua-Yap and Luis Meinrado C. Pangulayan accompanied Secretary Estrella. House Committee Secretary Rita Macabulos was with Representative Chungalao.