The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has moved to strengthen its legal department with recruits to speed up the resolution of cases of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).
DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III made the statement Friday as he acknowledged legal impediments faced by ARBs when DAR has distributed numerous Certificate of Land Ownership Awards, thus preventing them from taking full possession and control of their lands.
Each delay in the resolution of cases “would be a big blow to the country’s food self-sufficiency program as many farmlands that are under litigations are often left untilled or idle,” Estrella said.
“Resolving pending cases is one of the major concerns of the Department to avoid protracted litigations that prevent the ARBs from possessing and making productive the lands awarded to them,” Estrella said.
“The earlier these cases are resolved, the earlier we can help them move on with their lives,” he added.
In a statement, DAR has identified 139 vacant regular positions in its legal divisions.
As of September 30, Estrella said a total of 5,713 cases were resolved by the DAR Adjudication Board, out of a total of 8,082 nationwide, for a 70-percent accomplishment.
Another 2,634 out of 4,517 Agrarian Law Implementation cases were similarly granted resolutions, translating to a 58-percent accomplishment rate.
