North Cotabato’s agrarian reform officials said they have intensified the delivery of Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) to agrarian reform beneficiaries in the province through their “Serbisyong DAR to Door” program.

Provincial agrarian reform program officer, engineer Reynaldo Anfone, led the door-to-door CLOA distribution to 82 ARBs in the municipalities of Tulunan, Matalam, and Kabacan on Monday.

Anfone said a total of 116.7 hectares were awarded to the beneficiaries, which were covered through the voluntary offer to sell, compulsory acquisition, and government financial institution schemes of the comprehensive agrarian reform program.

“The program primarily aims to develop self-confidence among farmers that they now legally owned the land they till,” he told reporters.

Anfone said of the awarded lands so far, about 62 hectares were covered through the voluntary offer to sell, 39 hectares through compulsory acquisition, and 15 hectares through government financial institution schemes.

“We are doing the ‘Serbisyong DAR to Door’ as the fulfillment to the mandate of President Rodrigo Duterte to bring the government closer to the people,” he said.

Anfone added that the door-to-door delivery of CLOAs was also one way of addressing challenges brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic by personally delivering the CLOAs to farmers at the comfort of their homes or farms.

He said all beneficiaries were surprised by the gesture of DAR personnel in delivering the CLOA right at their doorsteps.

After giving the farmers their CLOAs, Anfone said DAR officials informed them of their duties and responsibilities, especially the payment of land amortization at the Land Bank of the Philippines and the payment of the real property tax in their respective local government units.

“The beneficiaries were also oriented of the legal and support services of DAR to increase their farm productivity and profitability,” he said.

Farmer-beneficiary Jaime Masili, 58, of Sitio Ilcac, Barangay, New Caridad, Tulunan, North Cotabato, said he was surprised to see DAR personnel at his farm.

“I did not expect to receive the CLOA at this time of the pandemic with Mr. Anfone himself leading the distribution,” Masili said.

Rodel Orejudos, DAR-North Cotabato information officer, said DAR’s municipal offices in the province would continue the “Serbisyong DAR to Door” initiative to additional beneficiaries in the coming days. (PNA)

Photo Credit: www.pia.gov.ph