ILOILO – More than 30,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Western Visayas were granted land ownership, freed from decades-old mortgage obligations, and provided with crucial farm support as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) rolled out a massive distribution of land titles and support services in Passi City on July 17.
The regional distribution, held at the City of Passi Arena, saw DAR awarding 275 new land titles covering 283.8015 hectares to 183 ARBs, and 621 electronic titles (E-Titles) under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project to 361 beneficiaries across 702.3216 hectares.
But the most sweeping reform was the release of 39,443 Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (CoCROMs), which cancelled a total of P1.13 billion in debts owed by over 29,000 farmers to the Land Bank of the Philippines. This was made possible through Republic Act 11953 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in July 2023.
“These simultaneous distributions of debt condonation, land titles, and crucial support services represent DAR’s comprehensive approach to truly empower our farmers,” said DAR Undersecretary for Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Jesry Palmares, who led the event.
“We believe that by easing their financial burdens and providing them with direct ownership and modern tools, we are laying a strong foundation for their sustainable progress and the nation’s food security,” he added.
Beyond land titles, DAR also turned over P75 million worth of farm machinery, equipment, and organic fertilizers to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in Passi City, Concepcion (Iloilo), and the municipalities of Jordan and Sibunag (Guimaras).
These interventions are part of DAR’s Sustainable and Resilient Agrarian Reform Communities (SuRe ARCs) program, designed to boost agricultural productivity, enhance household incomes, promote food self-sufficiency, and increase women’s participation in agro-enterprise development.
In a press statement, DAR Region 6 emphasized that “these efforts show DAR’s strong dedication to improving the lives of farmers, not just through secure land ownership, but also by giving them the tools they need to succeed.”
The combined land distribution and support services are expected to accelerate rural development, uplift livelihoods, and reinforce the government’s push for genuine agrarian reform across Panay and Guimaras islands./PN
