More than 700 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Davao Oriental are now debt-free as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Davao Region distributed Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROMs) and handed over farm machinery and equipment (FMEs) under the “Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat” program.

DAR awarded 1,001 COCROMs to 721 ARBs, effectively condoning P9.93 million worth of land amortizations and interest pursuant to Republic Act No. 11953. The law provides significant financial relief and secures beneficiaries’ ownership of their awarded lands.

Leading the ceremony were DAR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research Office Lani C. De Leon and Regional Director Joseph H. Orilla, along with local government officials and partner agencies. Orilla highlighted the broader impact of the initiative: “This milestone is more than just debt relief. It empowers our farmers by granting them land security and equipping them with the tools to improve productivity and transform their lives.”

In addition to the debt relief certificates, DAR turned over a mobile corn mill and a corn sheller worth P1.29 million to the Talisay CARP Beneficiaries and Farmers Water Service Cooperative under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project. The FMEs aim to boost crop production and increase farmers’ incomes.

The activity underscores the government’s commitment to supporting ARBs not only through land distribution but also through sustained assistance to ensure productivity and livelihood improvement.