The Department of Agrarian Reform in Bicol (DAR-5) has already registered 278 electronic titles (e-titles) totaling 513.7288 hectares of land in the province of Masbate since January this year.

Herald Tambal, Masbate provincial agrarian reform program officer, said that through the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project, DAR divides the awarded lands covered by a collective certificate of land ownership award (CCLOA) and gives agrarian reform beneficiaries individual e-titles.

“From 2021 to 2022, Masbate targets subdividing a total of 475 CCLOAs or 9,576,4880 hectares of land. Over 6,256 hectares of which have already been validated and are preparing the necessary documents for the generation and distribution of individual e-titles to the beneficiaries by 2022 or early next year,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

Tambal said the collaboration and strong partnership between the DAR and the Registry of Deeds in Masbate led to the success of the distribution.

DAR Bicol regional director Rodrigo Realubit said the e-titles have given the farmer-beneficiaries complete control of the land they till.

“Land titles distributed to farmer beneficiaries open the door to promising opportunities and brighter hopes for improving their quality of life,” Realubit said.

“When we see our name on the land title, we know that it is legally and completely ours. To God be the glory, the DAR blessed me with this piece of land,” farmer Joaquin Burga, Jr. said after receiving his e-title recently.

Burga was one of the 97 farmers from Barangay Sawmill in Milagros town who received the e-titles through the DAR’s SPLIT project during the recently concluded simultaneous distribution ceremonies held at the Gaisano mall in Masbate City and the Claveria covered court in Claveria, Burias Island, Masbate.

The e-titles comprise a total of 202.8238 hectares of farmland in Aroroy, Cataingan, Cawayan, Mandaon, Uson, Milagros, San Pascual, and Claveria.

Around 51 farmers from Cawayan town received their first tax declarations from Masbate’s provincial assessor.

Renato Dumangas, another farmer recipient, expressed his happiness after receiving his title since he had been waiting for it for almost 49 years. (PNA)