New Year, New Life for 807 Farmers in Quezon Province

Published: Wednesday, 20 February 2013 12:47 PM

Former farm workers of the various private landholdings in Quezon are happy to have finally sealed their ownership to their own lands with the distribution of certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in the remote municipalities of Bondoc Peninsula.

De los Reyes recently led the distribution of CLOAs to 807 agrarian reform beneficiaries with Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala who distributed various farm implements, animal feeds, seedlings and fertilizers to farmer organizations.

The properties, covering 1,721 hectares of agricultural lands are located in the towns of Catanauan, Mulanay, Pitogo, San Andres, San Francisco, San Narciso, Unisan and Buenavista.

All of the 807 farmer-beneficiaries said they feel more secure now, knowing that food would be served on their table with regularity because the farms they are tilling are now theirs.

Ernesto Tabolina, 43, said he is lucky to become one of the beneficiaries of the land belonging to Silvestre Loveria in San Isidro, Mulanay town, “Since 1997, together with my father, we joined rallies in Batasang Pambansa so that DAR would be able to cover the Loveria landholding. Looking back, all those hardships we encountered are worth it.”

Tabolina, who also received 250 fruit trees from the Department of Agriculture during the CLOA distribution, said he will start with these trees to supplement his income from coconuts and copra.

CLOA is a proof of ownership given to agrarian reform beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) or R.A. 6657 acquisition modes such as compulsory acquisition, voluntary offer to sell, voluntary land transfer or direct payment scheme.

“Now that this land is mine, I will do everything to make sure that my income will increase so that my family’s needs will be met,” added Tabolina.

Arturo Jamot, 47 and Antonio Astorga, 48, both from Barangay Villa Reyes in San Narciso, said they will replace old coconut trees with new ones and they will raise livestock to augment their household income.

“I am so happy to finally own the land I’ve been tilling for so long. Now than I am my own boss, I now have better control of the prices of my agri products and bring them to other market centers of my choice,” added Jamot.

During the CLOA distribution, Agrarian Secretary Virgilio De los Reyes stated that the DAR will continue to provide support services to agrarian reform communities of Quezon province.

“The President has ordered us to help farmers to sustain their lands by providing them with support services like farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, irrigation, access to credit and trainings on basic business management,” De los Reyes said.

“My wife and I shed tears of joy when we received the CLOA. We no longer need to worry about paying rent for the use of the land. Most of all, there’s no more fear of being ejected as tenants,” said Astorga of San Narciso.

The DAR secretary said the distribution of lands in Quezon represents a victory for the farmers, who admitted that they almost given up hope of owning the land after more than 10 years of waiting.

“The department will continue to help farmers to, one day, own the land they till as long as it is within the law. We also thank them for their patience and fearless efforts to have these landholdings covered under CARP,” De los Reyes said.