NEGROS OCCIDENTAL ARBs RECEIVES MOBILE PHONES FROM PRRD

A total of 2,495 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries have received mobile phones from President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in separate distribution rites in Negros Occidental.

It can be recalled that during the massive distribution of the Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) last March 8 in Sagay City, the president promised to provide mobile phones, along with fertilizers, to each of the ARBs.

The phones, according to him, can be used to raise concerns to the different government agencies.

It took no more than a month for him to fulfill his promise as the first batch of 1,000 mobile phones were distributed to the ARBs in the cities of Bacolod, Talisay, Silay, Cadiz and Sagay, and town of E.B. Magalona and Manapla during the last week of March 2019.

The second batch of 702 phones were then delivered to the ARBs in the cities of Escalante and San Carlos; and municipalities of Toboso, Calatrava and Murcia on April 24.

The third and last batch of 793 phones were finally distributed to the southern part of Negros Occidental in the cities of Bago and Kabankalan; and municipalities of Binalbagan, Hinigaran, Isabela, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, and Pontevedra on the following day on April 25.

In his message, Director Leonidas has reminded the farmer-beneficiaries of their obligations to pay their amortizations and land taxes. He added that with the strengthened partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA), Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) and other national and local government offices, ARBs’ crops can be insured without any cost. He said that the DAR municipal office staff are always ready to facilitate their registration to the program.

DAR Region 11 Director Joseph Orilla, who personally facilitated with the shipment of the mobile phones from Malacañang to Negros Occidental, said that the president would like to ensure that the custom-made phones are delivered to the ARBs. He added that the former Special Assistant to the President, Christian Lawrence Go, requested him to do this task for him as the latter has now resigned to run for a senatorial position.

The farmers expressed their gratitude to the president as well as to the DAR for providing them with land of their own and mobile phones to improve their lives and ways of communication.

The distribution was led by DAR Region 6 Director Stephen Leonidas along with OIC-Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Carlos Padilla and OIC-Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Teresita Mabunay with the assistance from the respective DAR municipal and local government officials.