Regional Director Atty. Merlita S. Capinpuyan during her introductory message.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Regional Office Caraga recently convened for its 3rd quarter assessment from September 25th to 27th, 2024, at Dottie’s Place Hotel in Butuan City.

The 3-day event was aimed to review and evaluate the region’s ongoing agrarian reform programs and its current status, with much focus on the remaining balances against its annual targets and catch-up planning.

In her opening remarks, Regional Director Atty. Merlita S. Capinpuyan reminded the provincial offices, particularly the Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officers (PARPOs), that there are only 3 months left in 2024. She continued, “Even though we have been performing well in most indicators, we must put our efforts in trying to complete our remaining targets in the next 2 months for our beneficiaries to receive our interventions at the soonest possible time.”

As such, serving as one of the highlights during the assessment was the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP) implementation. It continues to make considerable waves in improving the livelihood and sustainability of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the region.

A total of 15,394 ARBs have already received capacity-building training. This poses a 97% achievement of its annual target of 15,944. Also, the region has already accomplished 94% or 413 out of 438 annual targets in the number of functional infrastructures maintained for the use of agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs). Meanwhile, the operationalization of barangay agrarian reform councils (BARCs), necessary for not only support services but also land tenure programs, had already exceeded its target with 112% as of the date of reporting.

Regionwide participants intently preparing for the presentation of quarterly accomplishments.

Alongside ARBDSP, the assessment also tackled all pertinent sectors and programs, which are the Land Tenure Security Program (LTSP), the Agrarian Justice Delivery Program (AJDP), comprising of the Agrarian Legal Service (ALS) and Adjudication of Agrarian Reform Cases (AARCs), and the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling or Project SPLIT.

With this, other notable accomplishments for the 3rd quarter include the steadfast resolution of AARCs. Of the 971 agrarian reform cases received, 827 cases (85%) have already been resolved. 

In the administrative aspect, the region also maintains its momentum by its strong budget utilization rate of its 01 and 02 funds, continued improvements in its human resource practices, and with a more strengthened approach towards gender and development.

And as the DAR Caraga team concluded its 3rd quarter assessment, the prevailing sentiment was one of optimism and determination. While acknowledging the challenges that lie ahead in the final stretch of 2024, the assessment underscored significant progress across various agrarian reform initiatives. With a continued focus on strategic planning, efficient execution, and unwavering commitment to the well-being of ARBs, DAR Caraga appears well-positioned to achieve its annual targets and further empower the region’s agrarian communities.