Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III. (File Photo from DAR)
MANILA – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said Wednesday that about 800,000 more land titles are set to be distributed to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) before the end of the Marcos administration.
In a media interview in Malacañang, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III said about 45,000 Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) have been distributed to ARBs in the first half of 2024, while 100,000 more are expected to be delivered in the second half of the year.
“Mga 800,000 (CLOAs) ang kailangan nating ipamigay hanggang matapos ang termino ng ating Pangulo. Mukhang magagawa natin. It looks like kaya natin kasi nahanap na namin yung paraan para mapabilis (We need to distribute 800,000 more CLOAs until the end of the President’s term. It appears that we can do that. It looks like we can achieve it because we have found the way to speed up the release of titles),” Estrella told Palace reporters.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has committed to complete the distribution of land titles to all beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program under his term until 2028.
According to Estrella, concerned government agencies are working in synergy to ensure the swift processing of CLOAs.
“Ang problema kasi noon kaya mabagal ang labas ng titulo kasi hindi nagco-coordinate ang LRA, ang Land Registration Authority, ang mga Register Deeds, ang DENR, at ganun din ang Department of Agrarian Reform. Ngayon nagkakaisa kami. Nakita na namin ang formula (What slowed down the issuance of titles in the past was that the Land Registration Authority, the Register Deeds, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the DAR were not coordinating. But now we are united. We have found the formula),” he said.
Making agri sexy again
Meanwhile, the DAR chief also pledged to help the government in its campaign to encourage the youth to take on farming as a career.
“Let’s make agriculture sexy again,” Estrella said.
He noted that under Executive Order 75, series of 2019, graduates of four-year courses in agriculture are among the beneficiaries of idle government lands up to three hectares each to encourage and help them cultivate their own land.
Retired military personnel and rebel returnees are also listed as beneficiaries. (PNA)
