CARAGA — Since July 2022, the government has distributed 1,710 Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) to farmers in the Caraga region, covering 2,191.38 hectares under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s administration.
According to Philippines News Agency, Director of the Department of Agrarian Reform-Caraga (DAR-13), who spoke at Tuesday's Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum, the initiative is part of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program which aims to enhance agricultural productivity and improve the livelihoods of agrarian reform beneficiaries. The director also highlighted the ongoing Project SPLIT, which facilitates the subdivision of collective CLOAs into individual titles, enhancing land ownership among farmers.
As of last month, Project SPLIT resulted in 6,043 electronic titles being awarded, covering 8,803.30 hectares and benefiting the same number of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs). Capinpuyan emphasized the continuous support from DAR to ensure the development of these lands, including providing modern farm machinery and equipment to agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations, with 93 units valued at PHP39.4 million being distributed.
Additionally, the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program has contributed significantly to infrastructure development in the region, completing eight farm-to-market roads in Surigao del Sur with more than PHP194.4 million funded in 2023. This infrastructure is crucial for improving market access for the farmers’ produce.
The department's Agrarian Justice Delivery Program has also been active, resolving 2,366 agrarian reform cases, further stabilizing land tenure and fostering a fair distribution of agricultural benefits.