AT least 215 more farmers in the Bicol region now own the land they till as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed electronic land titles (e-titles) or certificates of land ownership award (CLOA) to agrarian-reform beneficiaries (ARBs) last week of July.
The 215 formerly landless farmers come from five towns in Sorsogon and Camarines Sur. The area distributed to them totaled 344.8695 hectares.
In Sorsogon, seven farmer-beneficiaries from Juban town were given their e-titles covering 18.9407 hectares. This was followed by the CLOA distribution to 64 ARBs with a total land area of 68.0892 hectares in Ocampo, Camarines Sur.
Another 67 beneficiaries from Bangon, Lupi, Camarines Sur, received their land titles that covered 89 hectares, while 77 more farmers were given CLOAs and c-titles covering 168.8396 hectares in Caramoan and Garchitorena.
DAR Bicol Region Assistant Regional Director for Operations Romulo Britanico said that the land titles that were distributed to the farmer-beneficiaries involved lands that were covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
“The titles are symbols that you are now the owners of the land you are tilling. It is also a symbol that we, in DAR, have done our job well and honestly,” Britanico said.
He also advised the beneficiaries to cultivate the land and make it productive and reminded them of their obligations on their awarded lands.
“There is a responsibility you need to take on. I just want you to enrich the land and make it productive,” he added.
Farmer Dominguito Mimay, 57, expressed gratitude to the DAR and pledged to fulfill his duties as a beneficiary. He was one of the seven recipients of the Erquiaga Development Corp. estate in Barangay Buraburan, Juban.
“Big thanks to DAR. I waited so long for this title, I cannot describe how it feels to finally have it in our possession. Rest assured that we will handle this with care. Thank you so much,” Mimay said.
From January 1, 2022, to date, the DAR in Bicol has already given land titles comprising 698.6576 hectares of agricultural land to 408 farmer-beneficiaries.