More than 11,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the province finally saw the burden of debt lifted after the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) officially condoned over P1.8 billion in unpaid land amortizations, marking a major step under the New Agrarian Emancipation Act.
In a landmark ceremony held Thursday at the Manuel Y. Torres Memorial Coliseum and Cultural Center in Bago City, DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III led the distribution of Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (Cocroms) to 11,179 ARBs cultivating 8,860 hectares of land. Their combined mortgage debts totaling P1.83 billion were wiped clean.
The Cocroms are part of the implementation of Republic Act No. 11953, which seeks to liberate farmers from decades-old obligations under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program that began in 1988.
Alongside the condonation, 3,784 farmers—some of whom had waited for up to 40 years—finally received individual land titles covering over 4,880 hectares. These included 2,402 ARBs from Negros Occidental and 1,382 from Negros Oriental.
For 80-year-old Ernesto Natuel from Talisay City, the individual title he received after 32 years brought not just ownership, but dignity. “This is proof that (my) hard work and waiting were not in vain,” he said in an Inquirer.net report, adding that he now feels peace of mind knowing he can pass the land on to his family.
Warlito Estelloso, 60, waited four decades to officially own the land he tilled in Barangay Yubo, La Carlota City. His joy echoed among hundreds of farmers present at the ceremony.
DAR also turned over P5.6 million worth of farm machinery and equipment to support ARB cooperatives, part of a broader initiative to strengthen rural livelihoods.
Estrella emphasized that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed DAR to complete the land distribution process by the end of his term in 2028. Beyond land and machinery, the administration is working to ensure ARBs receive financial aid, healthcare, education for their children, and overseas job opportunities.
“We will ensure a whole-of-government approach to uplift their lives,” Estrella said.
With the opening of the DAR regional office in the newly created Negros Island Region, the agency hopes to better address the needs of ARBs across Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.
Bago City Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao called the land title distribution a “celebration of empowerment and love,” echoing the emotional triumph for thousands of farmers whose decades-long wait is finally over.
