Senate panel approves P17.4-B DAR budget for 2026

The Senate Finance Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian with Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, has approved the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) proposed P17.4-billion budget for 2026, which will now move to the plenary for deliberation and possible augmentation.

The proposed allocation is P6 billion higher than DAR’s 2025 budget, reflecting the agency’s intensified efforts to deliver land tenure security, agrarian justice, and support services to farmers nationwide.

A major portion of the increase is allotted to the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project, which will rise from P669 million in 2025 to P5.1 billion in 2026. The project aims to subdivide 1.38 million hectares of collective land titles into individual titles, benefiting more than 247,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).

Meanwhile, P9.5 billion is earmarked for the Land Tenure Security Program (LTSP) to continue distributing private and public agricultural lands to qualified beneficiaries. The Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP) will receive P1.87 billion to support enterprise development, technical, and farm assistance to ARBs.

The Agrarian Justice Delivery Program (AJDP) is allocated P1.4 billion to strengthen case adjudication, mediation, and legal assistance for farmers. Secretary Conrado Estrella III said the program ensures fair and timely resolution of agrarian cases, with DAR hiring additional lawyers to expedite proceedings.

Zubiri expressed full support for DAR’s proposed budget, citing its impact on rural communities.
“I’m happy with the DAR’s performance, especially in helping farmers in Bukidnon and across the country. I fully support this budget and even urge the committee to increase it further to help farmers recover from their debts and losses,” Zubiri said.

Estrella emphasized that a substantial portion of the 2026 budget will fund programs directly benefiting farmers affected by recent calamities.
“We are investing in support services that will help our farmers rebuild and recover. Strengthening our farmers means strengthening our nation’s food security—because they are the ones who feed the Filipino people,” he said.

DAR also plans to modernize farming through the use of modern equipment, greenhouse technology, and tissue culture laboratories to boost productivity and sustainability.

Under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), P2.2 billion is also allocated for capacity-building programs—training over 325,000 ARBs, providing credit and microfinance services to more than 140,000 ARBs, and extending technical support to more than 3,000 others.

Of the total proposed budget, P10.25 billion will go to Maintenance, Operations, and Other Expenses (MOOE), covering supplies, utilities, transportation, and facility maintenance.

The Senate Finance Subcommittee A endorsed DAR’s proposed 2026 budget for plenary approval with a motion for additional funding.