DIPOLOG CITY (PIA) – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributes a total of 235,662.62 hectares of land to 124,680 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) throughout Zamboanga Peninsula under the Land Tenure Security Program (LTSP).
As the leading government agency in upholding and implementing comprehensive and genuine agrarian reform for a just, safe and equitable society, DAR upholds the rights of tillers to own, control, secure, cultivate, and enhance their agricultural in the hopes of improving their quality of life towards rural development and national industrialization.
During this week’s Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas, DAR-9 Regional Director Atty. Ramon Madroñal discussed their accomplishments under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and its 3 major programs.
Meanwhile the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (ARBDSP) has launched and confirmed 154 Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) with 13 ARC clusters. They also organized 443 Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations with over 35,000 ARB members.
From July 2022 up to May 2024, DAR has distributed 179 Farm Machineries and Equipment (FMEs) to 39 ARBOs throughout the region amounting to a total of P31,582,634 under the ARBDSP.
Through these initiatives, support services were able to reach 49,237 ARBs as of May 2024.
Madroñal also mentioned the Agrarian Justice Delivery Program, where he explained that DAR can extend free legal assistance to farmer-beneficiaries affected by agrarian conflicts. Services include mediation, legal advice, and guidance on agrarian reform laws and regulations.
Lourdes Guindoy Sarded, an ARB from Zamboanga del Norte, expressed her gratitude for these programs, saying that they are a huge blessing for her and her family.
“Dako gyud siyang tabang labaw na kay wala mi kwarta pangpalit og among kaugalingong yuta ug pambayad sa mga abogado,” she said.
(It’s a big help, especially since we don’t have the financial resources to buy our own land and pay for legal fees.)
Another ARB, 75-year-old Ramon Siocon from the municipality of Polanco who waited 42 years to received his certificate of land ownership award (CLOA), said that finally owning the land he tills is not only a blessing to him, but to the people his crops will feed.
“Dako kaayo ning tabang, dili lang sa ako, kay ang yuta mao na’y grasya sa kahitas-an,” said Siocon.
Both beneficiaries received their CLOAs on May 24, 2024.
Furthermore, Dir. Madroñal thanked those in attendance for the Kapihan episode, and urged the public to continue supporting the Department in its mission of upholding and implementing comprehensive and genuine agrarian reform.
“The President is hopeful that through the implementation of our programs, the food security and poverty issues in our country will be resolved,” he emphasized. (MLE/PJF/PIA9-Zamboanga del Norte)
