Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri pushed for additional funding for the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in its proposed 2026 budget, citing its strong performance in implementing land distribution and support programs for farmers.
“I would like to move, Mr. Chairman, that we approve on the committee level the budget of the Agrarian Reform with additional funding, paglabas na po sa plenaryo,” Zubiri declared during the budget briefing of the DAR in the Senate Committee on Finance chaired by Senator Win Gatchalian.
During the hearing, the veteran legislator expressed he was giving his full support to DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III, noting that the agency has earned the trust of farmers for its consistent delivery of services.
“They are doing a great job right now.”
“I am here to give my full support to the budget of Sec. Conrad Estrella. I have my full trust and faith in the department (DAR). They are doing a great job right now. In a time when there are so much distrust, animosity and anger of the people, I believe that with the Department of Agrarian Reform, wala pong ganyan. The people are very happy with their performance,” the seasoned lawmaker stated.
During the hearing, the senator reported that from July 2022 to August 2025, the agency distributed over 242,000 land titles covering more than 305,000 hectares, benefiting 232,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) across the country.
He added that a total of 401,001 Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROMs), lifting P41 billion worth of debts from over 322,000 farmers, effectively freeing them from long-standing land amortization burdens.
Beyond land ownership, DAR intensified infrastructure and capacity-building support, reporting that between 2022 and mid-2025, it completed 213 irrigation projects and 344 farm-to-market roads (FMRs), reaching tens of thousands of hectares and farmer households.
Gatchalian even presented a 2024 COA audit on DAR highlighting a survey among Bukidnon farmers showing 93.65% of those polled acknowledged “easier access of their livelihood to the market” and noted increased revenues due to either “higher sales volumes or lower transportation costs” because of DAR-built FMRs.
The DAR is initially seeking a P28-billion allocation for 2026, but the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) only approved P17 billion that adversely affected the department’s support services, one of which is the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) program that subdivides collective land titles into individual certificates.
Zubiri explained that this issue is evident in his home province of Bukidnon, where many ARBs have yet to receive their individual titles due to resource constraints, stressing that additional funds would help the DAR fast-track this process and other support services crucial to rural productivity.
“We are all here trying to keep the country afloat. ‘Padayon’ sa Bisaya. Continue your good works that I have seen today in your performance because that’s the one that’s gonna carry us through these troubled times, troubled waters, in our ship of state,” he said.
“Like any ship of state, kailangan ng grasa.”
“And of course, like any ship of state, kailangan ng grasa. Kailangan ng gasolina, ng krudo. Kailangan ng assistance para gumanda lalo ang performance ng ship of state,” Zubiri added.
He noted that fiscal space has improved this year, allowing the government to realign funds toward agencies that deliver visible results, commending Gatchalian for finding ways to support line agencies through budget adjustments.
“And I am happy para kay Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, nakahanap siya ng konting pondo na maibibigay under what you call institutional amendments to help the departments like DAR’s programs,” Zubiri said.
“So I am making this appeal, Sen. Sherwin, if I may make a standing motion that we approve it with an additional budget for the department,” he said earlier in the budget briefing.
Zubiri also praised the DAR for its well-organized agrarian reform communities (ARCs), saying that such structure ensures government programs reach their intended beneficiaries.
He lauded the farm-to-market roads constructed under DAR’s support infrastructure programs, which he said have significantly improved access and livelihoods in Bukidnon’s farming communities.
“Kaya money well spent ito, Mr. Chairman. Dagdagan natin ang pondo ng DAR kung pwede,” Zubiri concluded.
