The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is gearing up to distribute 101,377 hectares of agricultural land to landless farmers in the Bicol region in its bid to achieve a zero-backlog target in terms of land distribution balance starting this year.
The 101,377 hectares of agricultural land represents 22.89 percent of the 442,895 hectares of the total “CARP scope” of the region leaving a balance of 101,377 hectares, the second-largest nationwide. Topping the list are Regions 6 and 12.
So far the DAR has distributed a total of 341,518 hectares of agricultural land throughout the Bicol region in the last 49 years, which include land transfer program that dates back in 1972, and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which was implemented beginning 1988.
DAR Bicol Regional Director Rodrigo O. Realubit reported that about 150,083 Emancipation Patents (EPS) and Certificates of Landownership Award (CLOAs) were issued to 198,917 Bicolano farmers. He credited the persistent efforts of the DAR to provide security of land tenure to landless farmers despite the difficulties in implementing the CARP.
By province, Camarines Sur came on top, with 125,654 hectares awarded to 74,125 agrarian reform beneficiaries. It was followed by Masbate with 70,652 hectares and 34,146 farmer-beneficiaries; Albay with 56,381 hectares and 39,367 farmer-beneficiaries; Camarines Norte with 38,198 hectares and 17,844 farmer-beneficiaries; and Sorsogon with 33,421 and 21,265 farmer-beneficiaries.
Catanduanes has already completed all its distributable agricultural lands of 14,666 hectares with 10,919 farmer-beneficiaries benefiting from its land distribution program.
Realubit said that since the remaining area available for distribution are mostly privately owned and more contentious, the coming years will continue to be incredibly difficult for the department, adding that more than 47,557 hectares and 17,238 hectares of the total balance are classified as “problematic” and “untitled properties,” respectively, thereby delaying their coverage under CARP.
Private lands also include those covered by the operation land transfer program, landed estates, and lands foreclosed by government financing institutions.
He said “these areas are still under protests or litigation and lack documents and can be touched only by DAR upon resolution of the case and or completion of supporting records.”
According to the DAR official, problematic landholdings may raise questions about ownership or the legality of coverage.
Realubit said only 504 hectares of government-owned land remained untouched. Most of it had been distributed in the past decades. They are located in Albay, Camarines Sur, Masbate, and Sorsogon provinces.
He said over the course of 49 years, a total of 351 agrarian reform beneficiary organizations have been organized regionwide to enable farmer-members to continue gaining access to a convergence of support services from various agrarian reform implementing agencies, donor communities, local government units, and non-government organizations. These support services include skills and livelihood training programs, access to credit, health, technology transfer, irrigation, multi-purpose buildings, food processing centers with tools and instruments, and farm machinery.
He said DAR, through CARP, financed quite a lot of farm-to-market road and bridge construction projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways; credit programs of the Land Bank of the Philippines; skills training of the Department of Trade and Industry; irrigation projects of the National Irrigation Administration; and agri-production training and livestock distribution of the Department of Agriculture.