BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 22 -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) 13 (Caraga Region) closes the year with the distribution of 8,800 Certificates of Condemnation, Cancellation, or Release of Mortgage (COCROMs) under Republic Act 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, freeing 12,169 farmers from decades of accumulated land debt.

The milestone, covering 22,909 hectares of farmland across Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur, translated into PHP379 million in condoned obligations.

For agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), the releases mean entering 2026 free of land amortization payments that have weighed on generations of farming families.

Agusan del Sur led DAR-13's accomplishments, issuing 2,405 C...