DAVAO CITY—An ambitious free land-distribution project in one of the conflict areas in Central Mindanao hopes to eradicate the decades-long violent clan wars among the Maguindanaoans, mostly rooted in land disputes.
The land distribution was started this month with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DENR-ARMM) initiating the first steps by surveying the lands in Rajah Buayan, its mayor, Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan, said.
Rajah Buayan is one of 15 municipalities of Maguindanao in Central Mindanao that would benefit from the project, Ampatuan said.
The land survey would prepare the lands for free title distribution to the mostly conflict-affected towns in Maguindanao.
“The survey is also an important tool in settling land disputes in the province,” he said.
The free land-titling and survey project cost P42 million, and the DENR-ARMM started the first survey in Rajah Buayan on January 5.
“Land dispute hinders development. This project would provide bigger opportunities for our people,” he said. “This is the peoples’ hope for a fully secured land ownership.”
He said the land titling would be “quite important for my municipality, which relies on farming.”
DENR-ARMM Secretary Kahal Kedtag said “the massive distribution of land titles would also help in combating poverty and stimulating progress and development in the province.”
The project is under the region’s Humanitarian Development and Assistance Program (HDAP), aimed at demarcating properties of landowners in the region, Kedtag said.
The HDAP is a project of the ARMM “to implement various government initiatives, specifically relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction of both horizontal [in reference to school buildings, houses and health centers] and vertical in reference to roads and bridges.”
The free land-titling project would cover also the livelihood programs to help the calamity-affected communities in 15 Maguindanao towns.
Kedtag said the distribution of free land titles “is one of the priorities of the regional government to help lessen conflicts in Maguindanao, many of which are fueled by land disputes.”
He added the project has gained the support from local government officials and their constituents. In 2016 the ARMM granted a total of 1,800 hectares of land to residents of the conflict-torn SPMS Box that include Shariff Aguak, Pagatin, Mamasapano and Salibo. These areas are under the close watch of the military and are being developed into productive areas.
The DENR-ARMM has targetted 4,500 hectares of land in the 15 municipalities for distribution.
“We want to give what is due for the people in the region,” Kedtag said.