More than 4,200 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Negros Oriental will receive land titles and Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROM) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) during a mass distribution activity in early July, an official said Wednesday.
Manuel Galon, provincial agrarian reform program officer of DAR-Negros Oriental, said a total of 4,242 ARBs are set to benefit from the distribution scheduled at the Negros Oriental Convention Center in Dumaguete City.
Of the total beneficiaries, 350 recipients of land titles and 1,150 recipients of COCROMs will attend the ceremonial turnover, while the remaining awardees will receive their documents through simultaneous releases on the same day.
“The number of beneficiaries invited to the distribution proper is limited because of space constraints at the venue,” Galon said in an interview.
The DAR will distribute Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) to 30 beneficiaries covering 2.3965 hectares of land.
The agency will also award 892 electronic land titles under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (Project SPLIT) to 526 ARBs covering a total of 754.2212 hectares.
Galon said some beneficiaries will receive more than one title under Project SPLIT, a DAR initiative that subdivides Collective Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CCLOAs) into individual land titles to strengthen land tenure security among farmer-beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the DAR will distribute 2,112 COCROMs covering 5,138.7 hectares of agricultural land to 3,686 ARBs.
The certificates represent the condonation of more than PHP412 million in unpaid land amortizations, interests, and penalties incurred by beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
A COCROM serves as official proof that the government has forgiven the outstanding financial obligations of qualified ARBs, enabling them to fully enjoy ownership rights over the agricultural lands awarded to them.
Meanwhile, over PHP 7.3 million worth of support services, including four tractors and one rice combined harvester, will also be handed over to beneficiaries in the same activity. (PNA)
