DARPO-PALAWAN SET STANDARDS AS DAR-WB PROJECT SPLIT PROMISES TO DELIVER MORE INDIVIDUAL TITLES FOR AGRARIAN REFORM BENEFICIARIES (ARBS).
Officials from Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and World Bank (WB) delegates convened during the World Bank Project SPLIT On-Site field visit in Palawan, from 2-4 November 2022.
The event is part of the WB 6th Implementation Support Mission for Project SPLIT, a project management review mechanism that would develop strategies, acquired learnings, and recommended measures to improve the SPLITs project implementation, to deliver more individual titles.
The event began with the actual reports delivered by the participants on the status of implementation of Project SPLIT held on the first day of the event held in Hue Hotels and Resort in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.2nd and 3rd day were field inspection and validation personally conducted by the DAR and WB delegates in the towns of Narra and Aborlan, Palawan where they get to observe the validation process and talk to ARBs who were already awarded with individual titles.
The DAR-WB Delegates were greeted by heartwarming messages from ARBs who already received their individual titles. They gave kudos to DAR staff for the exemplary work in implementing the project and for stern efforts in visiting their communities to subdivide their lands with a commitment to make said land more productive.
Nida Bediores, ARB from Barangay Maligaya in the town of Aborlan in Palawan was personally interviewed by the delegates is grateful with the SPLIT Project for the individual land title she received. She said that they received their lands in 1990 through collective ownership. That despite cultivation of the land, they are still not confident of claiming it because there are still no clear boundaries of the land. Now, benefiting from Project SPLIT, she is already a proud sole owner of said property.
Ms. Bediores further said that because of the SPLIT project, they were able to realize their dreams of having their names on the title and handing them to next family generations.
Also, Rizaldo Depalobos, ARB from Barangay Malinao who received his individual land title through the SPLIT Project, felt more secured about his ownership of the land he cultivates because aside from the territorial boundaries, his name is now printed on his land title.
The delegates also gave their courtesy visit to Provincial Governor Dennis Socrates, who commended DAR and WB for its partnership to help our farmers and gave his full support to the SPLITs advocacy of generating more individual land titles for the ARBs.
Project SPLIT is the subdivision of lands and the issuance of individual land titles to ARBs who were previously awarded with lands under the collective certificates of land ownership award.
The SPLIT Project is funded by the World Bank, which aims to improve land tenure security and strengthen the property rights of the ARBs nationwide.
Materials courtesy of Project SPLIT-DAR, Medel Mercado of PAMRS (DARCO), and Derrick delos Reyes-MIMAROPA SPLIT.
