After decades of waiting, the Department of Agrarian Reform has installed farmer-beneficiaries of the contentious landholdings of Nemesio Tan.
Last March, Secretary John Castriciones distributed 188.08 hectares of the landholdings to 175 agrarian reform beneficiaries.
The farmers had long struggled when in 1997, the Nemesio Tan landholdings, located in the towns of Pilar and President Roxas, were placed under the coverage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
They were supposed to receive their certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) from the DAR but the heirs of Nemesio Tan appealed to the court and continued to control the property.
The farmers’ continuous fight for their rights led to violence in February of 2017, which took the life of one farmer while four others were wounded.
“We conscientiously follow up with the authorities for the resolution of this case because our farmers are waiting for so long in these lands. Upon receiving the resolution of the case, we wasted no time to distribute them and now, the installation of the ARBs happen, because our officials and personnel in this province immediately worked hard to process the installation,” he said.
The completion of the land and acquisition process up to the installation of the ARBs was also made possible with the help of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines that played a vital role in the peaceful implementation of the CARP.