LANAO DEL NORTE (PIA) — Farmers here are grateful to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for its impactful programs that have significantly improved their lives.
With the distribution of land titles and the implementation of supportive initiatives, DAR provided farmers with a renewed sense of security and ownership, enabling them to cultivate their lands with confidence and hope for a prosperous future.
Cresenciana L. Apigo, 86, a farmer in Maigo town, expressed her gratitude to DAR for their efforts in processing land titles. She is set to receive a Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) on July 5, which will officially recognize her ownership of the 2.9 hectares she has farmed with her family.
“Salamat kay naabtan pa nako ni nga higayon, nanghinaot ko nga mapalambo pa sa akong mga anak ang maong luna. Kay sa unang panahon sa kami pa sa akong pares ang nagtrabaho diha, para gyud sa among mga anak ang abot, og para pud naa sila’y masunod nga kabilin,” she said.
(I am thankful that I have lived to see this opportunity, and I hope that my children will develop this land. In the past, when my partner and I worked there, the yield was really for our children, so they would have something to inherit.)
Meanwhile, Ramon Abella, 70, from Barangay Cabasagan, Lala, Lanao del Norte, expressed his gratitude for DAR’s efforts in individual land titling, which relieved him of the challenging task of dividing land titles.
He is also set to receive his land title on July 5 through the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project of DAR. The SPLIT Project aims to accelerate the parcelization of agricultural landholdings under the agrarian reform program.
He divides his 1.9-hectare land into three rice paddies and plants coconut trees along the dikes for stability and utility.
“Lisod kaayo para kanamo ang pagpatipak-tipak sa among titulo, maong nagpasalamat ako nga matagaan og lugak ang programa para matagaan gayud og tagsa tagsa nga titulo ang mag-uuma, nga dili na kami ang maglihok,” he said.
(It was very difficult for us to divide our land titles, so I am grateful that the program provides a way for each farmer to receive their own title without us having to do the work.)
During the 5th episode of Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas, DAR-10 Regional Director Zoraida Macadindang emphasized that DAR not only provides land but also offers essential support services to uphold social justice for farmers in resolving agrarian disputes.
“Ang DAR dili lang gapanghatag og yuta, naa nakaakibat nga support services, to resolve agrarian cases,” she said.
(The DAR does not only distribute land but also provides accompanying support services to resolve agrarian cases.)
As of May 2024, DAR-10 supported 36,011 farmers in Lanao del Norte through the Land Tenure Security Program (LTSP), aimed at providing land titles and facilitating leasehold contracts to ensure that agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) have ownership and security over the land they cultivate. It covered approximately 82,631.08 hectares and facilitated the registration of 4,344 ARBs with leasehold contracts over 8,655.10 hectares.
Additionally, in Lanao del Norte, DAR-10 distributed 124 e-titles to 110 ARBs and 163 emancipation patents/CLOAs to 221 ARBs, covering a total of 545.27 hectares of land.
As of May 2024, DAR-10 has reached 11,352 ARBs and processed 1,587 Collective Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CCLOA) in Lanao del Norte through the ongoing foreign-assisted SPLIT Project.
In terms of e-titles, 233 ARBs and 45 CCLOAs have been registered and distributed, covering a total of 409.73 hectares of land and 261 e-titles.
Moreover, the total number of ARBs in Lanao del Norte stands at 40,355, with 34,943 ARBs reached as of May 2024. The province hosts 28 agrarian reform communities and 116 agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations across 19 municipalities, or 133 barangays.
There are also 55 proposed subprojects for the province valued at P3.38 billion as of May 2024. (LELA/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
