Duterte distributes 102,727 hectares of agri lands in Mindanao

Davao City, August 3, 2019 – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte yesterday led the distribution of 58,387 certificates of land ownership award (CLOA) to 60,233 farmer-beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) here.

The Mindanao-wide CLOA distribution covers 102,727 hectares from five regions, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, Davao region and Soccsksargen.

President Duterte expressed his administration’s strong resolve to give land to the landless and to make sure that all the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) of CARP-covered lands should have in their possession the titles and full exercise of ownership and control of their awarded lands.

This is in line with his directive to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to fast-track the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER).

“To DAR, give the land to the beneficiaries according to our laws,” the President said.

Agrarian Reform Secretary John R. Castriciones said this is the first turnover of the CLOAs, which were deposited first to the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

He said the turnover is pursuant to Administrative Order No. 5 Series of 2019.

“The DAR and the Land Bank agreed that we have to boost the confidence of the farmers in the (CARP),” Castriciones said.

The CLOAs distributed Friday covered lands in Zamboanga Peninsula with 9,597.616 hectares; Northern Mindanao, 7,590 hectares; Caraga Region, 18,865 hectares; Davao region, 29,492 hectares and Soccsksargen, 37,182 hectares.

A ceremonial distribution of 1,361 Certificates of Land Ownership Award to 1,709 agrarian reform beneficiaries of Davao Region, involving a total of 1,452 hectares of lands acquired and distributed to them was also held.

These CLOAs cover some 182 hectares of private agricultural lands acquired in later months of 2018 and early months of 2019, and 1,179 hectares of partitioned CLOAs, which were the resultant titles of collective CLOAs issued to agrarian reform cooperatives.

Around 2,000 ARBs attended Friday’s event along with other attendees, officials and personnel from the DAR, Department of Agriculture (DA), (LBP) and partner agencies such as Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Register of Deeds.

After the issuance of CLOAs, the DAR, in partnership with other government agencies will continue assisting farmers in Mindanao to uplift their lives through the provision of livelihood programs, scholarships, crop insurance and credit assistance.

Liza Saldua, a 51-year-old land recipient from Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, said the land awarded to her is a big help because the income from her harvest would all go to her family unlike before when she would give a part of it to her landlord.

Meanehile, Cirilo B. Adoro of CPI Agrarian Reform Cooperative from Compostela Valley Province said, "Akong ipasigarbo karon nga piaagi sa yuta nga among nadawat ubos sa programang agraryo, adunay dakung kausaban sa among ekonomikanhon ug sosyal nga kahimtang nga natagamtaman sa among tagsa-tagsa ka pamilya, pinaagi sa kolektibo ug hiniusang pagplano ug aksyon. (I am proud now that through the land we have received under the agrarian program, there is a great change in our economic and social status that our individual families enjoy, through collective planning and action).”

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