63 agrarian beneficiaries become landowners in Negros Occidental
Sixty-three (63) agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) were transformed into landowners as they received a total of 65-hectare landholdings from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental.
Of the total 63 ARBs, forty-seven (47) are now owners of the 49.85-hectare landholding formerly managed by Vasquez Development Corporation located in Barangay Old Sagay, while 16 ARBs received the 15.43-hectare property formerly owned by Joffre Dela Paz in Barangay Bulanon.
In her message, Atty. Sheila Enciso, DAR Western Visayas Director, said the distribution of certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) to the ARBs signifies their full ownership of the land they are tilling.
“You are no longer landless and this is a great way to start a new beginning. Make your lands productive and use this as an instrument to improve your economic lives,” she told the ARBs.
She said the undertaking is anchored on the agency’s aim to provide lands to landless farmers and farmworkers, to guarantee the farmers' land security, deliver social equity, and provide them with the necessary productive and emergency resources.
Enciso added that the activity is in line with nine primary goals identified by DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III for the next six years, specifically on the intervention on land tenure problems.
Mart Deraja, municipal agrarian reform program officer, who led the simple installation rites, reminded the ARBs of their responsibilities as owners of the lands, by taking care of the said asset and ensuring that it will bear good harvests.
Deraja divulged that the activity followed the community quarantine measures set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health.
“Such continuous field activities conducted by the agency is evidence that despite the inconveniences brought by the pandemic, the service for the Filipino people still lives on” he said.