The Department of Agrarian Reform on Tuesday night distributed more than 87,000 hectares of agricultural lands to thousands of farmer-beneficiaries in Luzon.
Over 46,000 farmer beneficiaries received 47,377 land titles in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa.
More than half or 24,605 of the farmer-beneficiaries were from Central Luzon, while 11,859 were from Calabarzon and 9,874 were from Mimaropa.
Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones told reporters Bicol Region is not yet included in the distributed land areas because it remains a “highland” and an “insurgency area.”
Of the total agriculture lands, 112 hectares will come from the last 10 barangays of Hacienda Luisita, a portion of the remaining undistributed land area which have not been covered by the previous administration. These will be given to 114 farmer-beneficiaries. The Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita is a 6,453-hectare sugar plantation located in Tarlac.
Castriciones said the delay in the distribution of lands in Hacienda Luisita was due to incomplete and unsubmitted requirements.
Castriciones said DAR will look into reports that some portions of Hacienda Luisita have been converted into residential and commercial lands.
“We are actually conducting some investigation. Although we have not yet finalized [it] because we need the cooperation of those people who are furnishing us with this information,” he said.
“Now before you can convert it to commercial, industrial, residential [lands], you must be given a conversion order by the DAR. And there are many requisites before you can convert it,” he added.