BACOLOD City – A total of 102 farmers from three local government units in the northern part of this province received their certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs) for some 151 hectares of redocumented lands in separate rites facilitated by the Department of Agrarian Reform(DAR)I since last week of February.
Nineteen agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) through individual titles occupied around 55 hectares of land in Barangay Felisa here – in the property previously owned by Gilopez Kabayao on March 5.
Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer (Marpo) Edwin Sanchez, who led the distribution, urged the new landowners to always keep in mind the payment of their taxes, among other obligations.
In the neighboring Murcia town, 27 ARBs received land titles and were afterwards installed on some 30-hectare property previously owned by Norma Tinsay in Barangay Sta. Rosa, Murcia on Feb. 27.
Marpo Edelita Abanilla told the farmer-recipients to take good care of the lands provided by the government. She also urged them to engage in progressive farming and other business ventures.
The remaining 66 hectares of redocumented land previously owned by the group of Josefina Alibutdan were distributed to 56 ARBs in Barangay Caduha-an, Cadiz City on Feb. 26.
“Always know your responsibilities and legal obligations to the land awarded to you,” Marpo Rodrigo Jose Villaluna told the ARBs.
The redocumentation and distribution of lands are provided under the Administrative Order No. 3 Series of 1993, or the Rules and Procedures Governing the Issuance of Collective CLOAs and Subsequent Issuance of Individual Titles to Co-owners. It is also under the Administrative Order No. 2, Series of 2019, or the Guidelines and Procedures on the Parcelization of Landholdings with Collective CLOAs.
The option to select a collective CLOA may be exercised by the ARBs under Section 25 of Republic Act 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988.
Within 10 years from the issuance of the collective CLOAs, DAR shall retain the option to generate the individual certificate in the name of the ARBs based on their request and the approved subdivision plan of the landholding and supported by the deed of participation executed by all co-owners named in the collective CLOAs.
Many landholdings were awarded to the ARBs under a collected CLOA through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. And under Section 10 of Republic Act 9700, or the CARP Extension with Reforms Law, DAR is mandated to immediately undertake the parcelization of collected CLOAs over lands that are not collectively farmed or operated in an integrated manner.(With a report from PNA/PN)
