LEGAZPI CITY — A total of 1,172 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) were provided with 1,229 individual electronic land titles (e-titles) under the Support to Parcelization of Land for Individual Titling (SPLIT) or Project SPLIT of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)
Reuben Theodore C. Sindac, DAR-Bicol Regional Director said the e-titles cover 1,977 hectares of agricultural lands located throughout the region, which include 289 e-titles for Albay, 249 for Camarines Sur I, 126 for Camarines Sur II, 210 for Sorsogon, 141 for Masbate, 136 for Camarines Norte, and 78 for Catanduanes.
“It is the directive of our Secretary Conrado Estrella III, to expedite the subdivision of collective certificates of land ownership awards (CCLOAs) into individual titles for distribution to qualified farmer-beneficiaries,” Sindac said.
In terms of land area, Albay had the largest number of individual e-titles with 476.2 hectares. Sorsogon came in second with 353.1 hectares, followed by Camarines Sur I with 327.1 hectares. Camarines Sur II and Camarines Norte had 264 hectares and 263.2 hectares, respectively, while Masbate had 209.6 hectares and Catanduanes with 83.7 hectares.
“By distributing individual e-titles to ARBs, the DAR seeks to empower farmers and unlock economic opportunities for them. This initiative marks the government’s commitment to agrarian reform, and it is expected to bring significant benefits to the ARBs and their families,” added Sindac.
With the parcelization of the CCLOAs and the issuance of individual titles, Sindac said the beneficiaries will be installed on their designated lots, which means improving their land tenure security and asserting rightful ownership of their land.
The distribution of land titles in Capitol Complex, Pili, Camarines Sur, was done simultaneously with the signing into law of Republic Act (RA) 11953 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 7.
The New Agrarian Emancipation Act condones all loans, including interests, penalties, and surcharges incurred by ARBs from land awarded to them under Presidential Decree (PD) 27, RA 6657, and RA 9700.
RA 11953 law covers the P57.56 billion in agrarian arrears, benefiting 610,054 ARBs who are tilling a total of 1,173,101.57 hectares of awarded land.
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