The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Tuesday distributed 12,131 land titles covering 18,808 hectares to 11,105 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Western Visayas.
DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III led the ceremonial distribution, which included 11,965 electronic titles issued under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project to 10,998 ARBs.
The SPLIT Project speeds up the conversion of Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) into electronic titles, giving beneficiaries individual documentation of their land ownership.
Capiz received the largest number of e-titles, with 4,181 benefiting 3,848 ARBs.
Antique received 2,705 e-titles for 2,701 ARBs; Iloilo, 2,741 for 2,357 ARBs; Aklan, 1,165 for 1,104 ARBs; and Guimaras, 1,173 for 988 ARBs.
The DAR also distributed 166 CLOAs covering 210 hectares to 107 ARBs under its Newlands initiative.
Of these, 93 CLOAs were distributed in Capiz, 56 in Iloilo and 17 in Guimaras.
For Rita Lumanog, 66, of San Enrique, Iloilo, receiving her title means securing a future for her family. She said income from their farm helped send her children to school.
“This document is not just a piece of paper; this is a symbol of a brighter future for our family and the next generation,” Lumanog said.
She urged fellow beneficiaries to make their land productive and actively participate in ARB organizations to gain access to government support and new agricultural technologies. (PNA)
