AGRARIAN Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III on Friday ordered the speedy land distribution and support to beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
“Let us be proactive in serving our farmers through land distribution and provision of much-needed support services,” Estrella told his subordinates..
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) held on March 7 its 2023 yearend performance review and planning conference in Angeles City, Pampanga.
The activity was conducted to ensure that targets were met and the development thrusts of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. were integrated into the programs and services of the agency.
The Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project under the agrarian reform program would cover more government-owned agricultural lands for distribution to landless farmers, Estrella said.
Foremost in his directive for the department is to increase the issuance of individual certificates of landownership award and to speed up giving various support services to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).
“Our President, from the beginning, has been championing the cause of the small farmers. We assure you that all our efforts will be in their best interest and the improvement of the agricultural sector,” he said.
“We will exhaust all means to distribute to the ARBs their land titles immediately. We will do our best to finish the distribution before the end of the President’s term in 2028. Once these titles are in their hands, nobody can deny them their right to their lands,” he added.
He vowed to facilitate the land title processing with partner government agencies so that DAR could speed up the issuance of titles.
The DAR chief directed the regional offices to look for all holders of certificates of land ownership award (CLOA ) and non-CLOA holders even in far-flung barangays, visit them and encourage them to become members of ARB organizations.
To meet department targets, the DAR chief ordered each DAR
office to draw up a contract stating their targets and their
commitment to accomplish the tasks for the year.
“I want this done to ensure that we properly implement our
mandate and deliver the support services to our farmer-beneficiaries.
This is our way of bringing the government closer to our farmers,” he said.
He also instructed his officials to implement agrarian reform
laws to assist in fighting for farmers’ rights and expediting agrarian legal cases.