CITING the priority of the Marcos administration to support farmers, House Committee on Appropriations Vice Chairperson and Aklan 2nd District Rep. Teodorico Haresco, Jr. successfully defended the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) 2024 budget during the plenary hearing for House Bill No. 8980 or the General Appropriations Bill on September 21, 2023 at the House of Representatives.
Rep. Haresco, as principal sponsor for the DAR 2024 budget, cites and commends President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos for signing into law on July 7, 2023 Republic Act No. 11953 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act which will benefit more than 600,000 Filipino farmers nationwide by making them debt-free from P57.65 billion of agrarian arrears.
According to the veteran solon who has sponsored the DAR budget since 2020, RA 11953 and the recently signed Executive Order No. 40, series of 2023, which covers all other agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) by giving them a two-year moratorium for their amortization fees and penalties, was realized through the efforts of former legislator, now DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III.
DAR’s total proposed budget for 2024 is at P9.39-billion, anchored on its major programs such as: the Land Tenure Security Program (LTSP), with allocated funding of P3.50-billion; Agrarian Justice Delivery Program (AJDP), with a total allotment of P893-million; and the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP) with P1.67-billion.
Representatives from the minority also supported the augmentation of the proposed 2024 budget of the DAR.
“We are glad that our colleagues are very supportive of the DAR budget. The DAR is one of several government agencies that has received multiple applauses even during committee hearings. This is clear manifestation that the government is united in our hopes of supporting our farmers and promoting food security for the country,” Haresco said.
