The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed last September 22 a total of 1,594 individual land titles covering 1,122 hectares of agricultural lands to 1,500 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Marinduque.
The distribution of individual land titles came after the successful splitting of collective certificates of land ownership award (CCLOAs) under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling Project or Project SPLIT of DAR.
The landholdings are located in the towns of Boac, with 257.0102 hectares distributed to 230 ARBs; Buenavista, with 226.1885 has. to 237 ARBs; Gasan, 106.0079 has. to 170 ARBs; Mogpog, with 180.9682 has. to 455 ARBs; Sta. Cruz, with 132.8797 has. to 215 ARBs;and Torrijos, with 219.2667 has. to 193 ARBs.
Project SPLIT involves the parcelization of lands and issuance of individual land titles to ARBs who were previously awarded lands under the CCLOAs scheme.
The lands distributed were covered under Presidential Proclamation No. 2282, series of 1983, which reclassified some portions of the public domain in the country as agricultural land and declared the same as alienable and disposable for agricultural and resettlement purposes.
Upon its effectivity, farmer-claimants availed of the program and were awarded CCLOAs in 1993, making them wait to own their individual land titles for almost 30 years.
DAR Field Operations Office Undersecretary Kazel Celeste also turned over a total of P 1.95 million in various farm machinery and equipment to ARB organizations which include Bacong-bacong ARBs and Farmers Association, Tiguion ARBs Association, and Bantay Buklutan ARBs and Farmers Association, to boost their livelihood activities.
The farm machinery includes a 24-HP four-wheel drive tractor with a rototiller, a 7-HP multi-tilling machine with complete accessories and trailer, 2 units of diesel water pumps, and 4 units of grasscutters.
The ARBs also availed of the free legal counsel from DAR lawyers and legal officers where they consulted agrarian-related issues and concerns involving their farms.
DAR Regional Director Marvin Bernal said the activity is under the Lawyers to the Benepisyaryo program conducted exclusively in the Mimaropa Region, where the DAR lawyers personally go to rural communities to listen to the grievances and problems of the ARBs.
