THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has assured 76 farmers in Pio Duran town that their much-awaited land titles will finally be released after resolving a 15-year-old dispute put up by former land owners.
The DAR said the certificate of land ownership award (CLOAs) covering a total of 138 hectares formerly owned by Pablo Alsua and Amparo Buenviaje, and Ramon Alsua in Barnagays Marigondon and La Medalla in Pioduran, Albay, respectively are now being readied for distribution.
In a statement, Albay Agrarian Reform Chief Maria Eugenia M. Alteza said the DAR has finally completed the land acquisition process for the two parcels of Alsua landholdings in the said areas.
Alteza said the DAR finally corrected “documentation error” committed by the agency, thus completing the acquisition of the 467-hectare property of the Alsuas under Republic Act 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
“The vast landholding had been placed under the Marcos regime’s Presidential Decree (PD) 27, or operation land transfer program. It was erroneously covered under the name of Francisca Alsua-Betts,” she explained.
“Our investigation found that portions of the 467 hectares are above the 18 percent slope, thus not within the CARP coverage. Only 80 hectares are available for acquisition and will be distributed to 50 farmer beneficiaries,” Alteza added.
After clearing the investigation, she said the DAR issued an “order of finality” to cancel the Emancipation Patents (EPs) awarded earlier to the farmer-occupants of the non-CARPable areas.
Meanwhile, Alteza said another 26 agrarian reform beneficiaries will also benefit from the 58-hectare portions of the 207-hectare agri land owned by Ramon Alsua in La Medalla.
Said property was also previously covered under PD 27. The landowner had been lobbying hard to withdraw the notice of coverage in 2005 to retain the property.
The DAR, however, proceeded with the acquisition of the land under CARP, excluding the portions discovered to be within the 20 to 45 percent slopes.
A Memo of Valuation was already issued on December 29, 2021 and is awaiting the Certificate of Deposit from LBP.
Alteza assured the farmers of immediate possession of the land by the second quarter of this year. She noted that the land-acquisition process was not an overnight success.
“It was long and painstaking, but the DAR Albay personnel, together with the members of NIACIT, ignored the hardships. Instead, they persevered.”
In October last year, the team endured the blistering heat of the sun, traversing hilly and mountainous terrains, and even crossing a river just to finish the investigation and re-validation of the said properties in six days.