Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III ordered the
committee tasked with the formulation of the Implementing Rules and Regulations
(IRR), of Republic Act No. 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, to proceed with
dispatch in the crafting of the IRR.
In his remarks at the first joint meeting of the committee, Estrella reiterated the need for
a comprehensive IRR for the law’s smooth implementation and within the sixty (60) day
deadline provided for, after its effectivity on July 23, 2023.
The Secretary also directed the committee and the technical working group to conduct
public consultations in key agrarian reform communities in Luzon, Visayas and
Mindanao, for their inputs with regard to the IRR.
The condonation of the debt burden of agrarian reform beneficiaries will cost P57.57B
and benefit 610,054 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), covering 1,173,101.57 hectares
of agrarian reform lands.
The government will also shoulder the balance of the obligations of 10,201 ARBS, tilling
11,531.24 hectares of agrarian reform lands, under the voluntary land transfer/direct
payment scheme (VLT/DPS), amounting to P206,776.41.
The seven-man committee is headed by Napoleon U. Galit, DAR Undersecretary for Legal Affairs as Chairman, Engr. Alex Lorayes, LandBank Executive Vice-President as Vice-
Chairman and Atty. Marilyn B. Barua-Yap, DAR Undersecretary for Special Concerns and External Affairs and Community Operations, Engr. Eduardo G. Guillen, NIA Acting
Administrator, Atty. Gerardo P. Sirios, LRA Administrator, Atty. Marife O. Pascua,
LandBank Vice-President and Atty. Luis Meinrado C. Pangulayan, DAR Undersecretary
for Policy Planning and Research, as members.
The technical working group is composed of Dr. Fermin D. Adriano of the Kapatid Angat
Lahat Program and Foundation for Economic Freedom, Atty. Christian S. Monsod,
former Comelec Chair and Legal Counsel for various farmers groups, Le0nardo Q.
Montemayor, President of the Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives, Margarito B.
Teves, former Finance Secretary and board member, Foundation for Economic Freedom,
Engr. Rosendo So of Samahang Industriya sa Agrikultura, Atty. Kazel G. Celeste, DAR
Undersecretary for Field Operations, Marjorie P. Ayson, DAR Assistant Secretary for
Field Operations, Atty. Rolando S. Cua, Board Member III, DAR Adjudication Board,
Atty. Sheila B. Enciso, DAR Region 6 Director, Jamil P. Amatonding, Director, DAR Policy
and Research Service and Lilibeth G. Lee, Director, DAR Bureau of Land Tenure
Improvement.
The committee was created by virtue of a memorandum from the Office of the President
issued by Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin, on August 3, 2023 and DAR Special
Order No. 508, pursuant to Section 12 of Republic Act No. 11953, on August 7, 2023.
