Itinuturing ni House Ways and Means Committee Chair Joey Salceda ang New Agrarian Emancipation Act bilang ‘best at biggest accomplishment’ sa unang taon ng Marcos Jr. Administration.
Ayon sa kinatawan, itatama ng batas na ito ang ‘error’ sa Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, na siyang pakikinabangan ng nasa 654,000 na agrarian reform beneficiaries
“This will be the hallmark of the Marcos administration’s inaugural year in office. It’s historic in scale, in worldview, and in what it will bring to the people. We often abuse the word “landmark” legislation a lot. But that is what this bill is. Landmark legislation. It corrects one of the first errors of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program – which was to tie down land. When, really, as owners of the land, farmers have a right to be able to use and, if necessary, convey it to the best users.” paliwanag ni Salceda.
Hakbang din aniya ito para sa pagsasakatuparan ng rural at agrarian justice.
Oras kasi na makalaya na sa pagkakautang ang mga ARB ay mas mapapaunlad nila ang kanilang lupain at mapapalaki ang produksyon.
Katunayan aabot aniya sa ₱418 billion ang halaga ng lost productivity kada taon sa CARP lands.
“More than 69% of poverty in this country is rural…because agrarian lands were tied down, in liens and due to the non-transferability restriction, they could not maximize output. It consigned rural areas to low economic activity.” dagdag ng House tax Chief.
Sa pagtaya naman ni Salceda, magreresulta ang pagbura sa mga utang sa pagtaas ng productivity rate ng 23.8%
“Condonation of ARB debts could result in increase in productivity of between 23.8% (as the market can now allocate the land more efficiently) and 38.3% if productivity-enhancing interventions are increased (which the bill proposes) among the lands condoned. Taken together, that is P629 billion more in economic output for the land condoned, assuming it remains used as just agricultural land. Of course, there will be more uses, including for renewable energy,” saad ng Albay solon.
Bukas, July 7 at nakatakdang lagdaan ni Pang. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr ang panukala upang maging ganap na batas. | ulat ni Kathleen Forbes