Benefitting over 5,400 farmers in EV
TACLOBAN CITY– President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. led the distribution of land titles to 5,438 farmers from different areas in Eastern Visayas on Monday (May 20) held at the convention center of this city.
The President, in his speech, vowed to complete the land distribution to identified farmer-beneficiaries before his term ends in 2028.
Among those who received his certificate of landownership award (CLOA) was Vicencio Mercader, 80 from Barangay Palid, Leyte, Leyte.
Mercader, whose two of his seven children were also beneficiaries during the land little distribution, said he could not contain his happiness.
“Finally, after waiting for more than forty years, I have now my own land to farm. At least I received the title while I am still alive although (physically) weak,” he said.
According to Mercader, he and the rest beneficiaries from their town would be going home ‘happy and fulfilled.’
Palid, he said, is located in a mountain and they have to cross a river to reach their village, an ordeal they endured to finally claim their land ownership from the government.
Mr. Marcos said that as of this month, his administration has distributed over 15,000 hectares benefitting more than 9,000 hectares of agricultural lands.
And for the remaining period of the year, his administration intend to distribute 23,000 hectares.
“Kaya naman po hangad ko na sa loob ng aking termino, lahat ng benepisyaryo ng repormang agraryo ay makakatanggap ng titulo ng kanilang sariling lupa. Tatapusin po natin ito sa susunod na apat na taon,” the President, who was accompanied by Agrarian Reform Sec. Conrado Estrella III, said in his speech.
“Alam naman po nating lahat na napakatagal na ninyong inantay ang lupang sakahan, sinisiguro po ng administrasyong ito na ang pagtupad sa pangako nating repormang agraryo sa buong bansa,” Marcos added.
He also directed the Department of Agrarian Reform to strengthen further their various programs like Project SPLIT or Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling.
The program aims to expedite the subdivision of CLOAs providing individual land titles to agrarian beneficiaries who were previously granted land through collective ownership.
Of the 5,438 land titles distributed on Monday by DAR, 5,400 of them were made under SPLIT Project with the remaining 38 certificates through CLOA distribution.
During his visit, the President also distributed P509.45 million worth of support services intervention to about eight agrarian reform beneficiaries(ARBs) organizations consisting of farm-to-market roads, irrigation projects, farm machinery and PBBM(Pag-Agraryong Tulay para sa Bagong Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka).
Among the local officials who joined the President during the event were Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez, Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan, Gov. Damian Mercado and Rep. Christopherson Yap, both of Southern Leyte.
JOEY A. GABIETA/ LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA
