By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz
A total of 36,284 certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) have been distributed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to 43,826 farmers in Western Visayas last March 12.
Department of Agrarian Reform (MANILA BULLETIN)
DAR Secretary John Castriciones said the CLOAs cover a total of 51,385.75 hectares in Boracay Island, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental.
Out of the 36,824 total CLOAS, 33,551 CLOAs with 41,828 identified agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) covering a total of 45,589.91 hectares of lands, were turned-over by the Land Bank of the Philippines pursuant to Administrative Order No. 5, Series of 2019.
AO 5 specifies that all owner’s duplicate copies of registered CLOAs and emancipation patents (EPs) "shall not be pledged or placed in the custody of another entity, pending the full payment of the amortizations of the land," instead, these titles "shall be released immediately by the provincial agrarian reform office to the farmer-beneficiaries upon registration and receipt from the Register of Deeds."
New lands distributed by the DAR comprised a total of 3,273 CLOAs involving 1,998 ARBs with an area of 2,795.84 hectares.
These new lands include 1,458 collective land ownership titles to 864 ARBs comprising 1,727.30-hectare of agricultural lands in Negros Occidental 1; a total of 1,353 CLOAs with 770 ARBs involving 691.07-hectare in Negros Occidental 2; 11 CLOAs with 11 ARBs in 14.54-hectare property in Aklan; 19 CLOAs with 14 ARBs in 16.07-hectare in Antique; 315 CLOAs with 223 farmers in 269.85-hectare in Capiz; 46 CLOAs with 29 farmers in 42.05-hectare property in Guimaras; 68 CLOAs with 56 farmers in 32.98-hectare land in Iloilo; and two CLOAs with 31 ARBs in 1.9858 hectare of agricultural land in Boracay island comprising of indigenous people.
DAR has also lined-up housing projects for farmers and provision of support services, which include among others, crop insurance from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp., Enhanced Partnership against Hunger and Poverty, AFFORD ARB credit assistance from the Land Bank of the Philippines, and from other local and international financial institutions.