By
JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA
December 10, 2024
CALBAYOG CITY, Samar
– Agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) Gary Rubante from this city was
so happy to receive from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) his
Certificate of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROM) on
Sunday, December 8 this year, which relieved him from financial
burden over the farmland awarded to him under the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
“Maraming-maraming salamat
po kay Secretary Conrado Estrella III ng DAR at kay Pangulong
Bongbong Marcos dahil ipinagkaloob nya po ito. Sa wakas ay wala na
po kaming babayarang ganito kalaking halaga, P111,842,” Rubante
exclaimed.
Rubante is one of the
1,504 ARBs from the provinces of Western Samar and Northern Samar
who are the first recipients of COCROM distributed in Eastern
Visayas, held at the Calbayog Sports Center.
Presidential sister,
Senator Imee Marcos, was supposed to hand the 2,140 COCROMs that
will erase P41,333,397.65 of unpaid amortizations and debts incurred
from the 2,813-hectare lands awarded to them under agrarian reform
programs. But due to the inclement weather, she was not permitted by
the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to depart
from the Tacloban City airport.
The distribution rites
proceeded with DAR Assistant Secretary Rene Colocar alongside DAR
Eastern Visayas Regional Director Robert Anthony Yu, Samar First
District Representative Stephen James Tan, Vice Governor Arnold Tan,
and City Mayor Raymund Uy, leading the distribution.
On July 7 last year,
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 11953, or the
New Agrarian Emancipation Act that will condone P57.557 billion
principal debts of 610,054 ARBs nationwide.
