Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella III expressed his gratitude to the Senate for approving the agency’s proposed P17.4-billion budget for 2026.

“The allocation of this budget to the agency’s key programs will further strengthen our efforts to deliver land tenure security, agrarian justice, and essential support services to farmers nationwide,” Estrella said.

The 2026 DAR budget includes P5.1 billion for the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT), which aims to fast-track the subdivision of collective land titles into individual titles for agrarian reform beneficiaries. The Land Tenure Security Program (LTSP) received P9.5 billion to continue the distribution of private and public agricultural lands.

Meanwhile, P1.4 billion will support the Agrarian Justice Delivery Program (AJDP) to expedite the resolution of agrarian cases, including the hiring of additional lawyers. The Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP) was allotted P1.87 billion for enterprise development, capacity-building, and training to improve the livelihood sustainability of agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III formally concluded and approved the DAR’s proposed 2026 budget during the Senate budget hearing held on Tuesday, 18 November 2025. The deliberations were sponsored by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, with Secretary Estrella in attendance alongside DAR undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, and regional directors.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri also commended the DAR and Secretary Estrella for their “stellar and significant achievements” in the past year.