A total of 1,730 farmer beneficiaries received electronic land titles, or e-titles, as the Department Of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has further stepped up the drive to distribute lands to farmers.
DAR Bicol Regional Director Reuben Theodore C. Sindac said the land distribution covers a total of 2,858 hectares with Collective Certificates of Landownership Awards (CCLOAs).
"This was made possible by Project SPLIT and indicates a brighter direction of the project in the region," said Sindac.during the Region-Focused Implementation Review at Villa Caceres Hotel in Naga City, held from March 30 to April 1.
Project SPLIT stands for Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling.
DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III earlier vowed to strengthen the agrarian reform beneficiary system and Sindac said the land distribution in Bicol region is part of the former's commitment when he was appointed by President Marcos.
Sindac said they validated 34,657 hectares of land with CCLOAs between March 2021 and December 2022, of which 25,960 hectares have been issued with approved survey plans in anticipation of individual titling in the coming months.
Masbate has accomplished the most with its 985.33 hectares.
"It is obvious that Masbate, which is paving the way, has the ability to play a significant role in the SPLIT implementation across the Bicol region," said Sindac.
"This is why we are looking at Masbate to be the place where we will be having one of the biggest individualized e-title distribution in DAR on April 12, 2023," he added.
At 473.14 hectares, Camarines Norte came in second, and Camarines Sur was not far behind with 455.32 hectares. Albay and Catanduanes finished with 197.87 hectares and 41.84 hectares, respectively, while Sorsogon completed 336.11 hectares and Camarines Sur II completed 368.59 hectares.
These numbers, he said, indicate a brighter direction of Project SPLIT in the region, as evidenced by the recent accomplishments of the different provinces.
However, he stressed that there is still a long way to go, and the department must continue to work closely in order to achieve more in the coming years.
"In addition to reviewing the accomplishments of the past two years, we must also examine the required budget for this year and beyond, which will have a major impact in attaining our future goals,” said Sindac.
The deputy director of project SPLIT operations, Engineer Reynaldo C. Anfone, and Engineer Cristina C. Dagdag led the three-day implementation review.
Dagdag also held a thorough discussion to identify and address the bottlenecks preventing the project's ongoing implementation at the regional and provincial levels. The region's work and financial objectives through 2023 were also heavily reviewed.
The DAR said farmers will receive individual land titles through Project SPLIT, enabling them to maintain secure ownership and control over their properties.