President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to continue implementing the agrarian reform program as he expressed gratitude to the members of Congress for the passage of the Agrarian Emancipation Act, which he said will boost the country’s agricultural productivity.

“Tulad ng ating ipinangako, ipinagpatuloy natin ang repormang pansakahan. Mahalagang haligi ito ng sektor ng agrikultura na ating inaayos. Nitong nakalipas na taon, mahigit pitumpong-libong titulo ng lupa ang ginawad sa mga benepisyaryo ng repormang agraryo,” President Marcos said during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) at Batasang Pambansa.

“Tamang-tama ang ating pagpapa-tigil ng mga bayarin ng mga benepisyaryo, sa ilalim ng ating nilagdaang EO No. 4,” he said.

One year after delivering his first SONA, Marcos said the Agrarian Emancipation Act was passed into law, freeing more than 600,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries of P57 billion debt obligation.

“Dahil dito, ang 57 bilyong pisong utang na pinapasan ng mahigit anim na raang libong benepisyaryo ay tuluyan nang nabura,” he said.

“Sa ngalan ng mga magsasakang ito at kanilang mga pamilya, maraming salamat muli sa ating mga mambabatas.”

President Marcos signed on July 7 the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, or Republic Act (RA) No.11953, benefiting more than 600,000 Filipino farmers nationwide tilling more than 1.7 million hectares of land agrarian reform lands.

The law condones all unpaid amortizations, including interests and surcharges, for awarded lands under RA No. 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, and other agrarian reform laws. PND