President Marcos intends to double the number of land titles that will be distributed to beneficiaries this year.

Marcos said he wants the government to double the 90,000 distributed titles last year as he aims to complete the distribution of land titles under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) before his term ends.

"Umaasa ako na dadami o dodoble pa sa taon ng 2024. Ang mahigit na dalawang libong titulo na ipamamahagi natin ngayon dito sa Davao ay magandang simula, at simula lamang, para sa 2024 (I am expecting that this will increase or double this 2024. The more than 2,000 titles distributed here in Davao is a good start, and this is just the start for the year 2024)," Marcos said in his speech during the handover event in Davao City on Wednesday, Feb. 7.

"Layunin kong matapos ang pamamahagi ng lahat ng lupang saklaw ng CARP bago matapos ang aking termino kaya’t natutuwa ako na masigasig ang DAR sa pamimigay ng mga titulo (I aim to complete the distribution of lands under the CARP before my term ends, so I am happy that DAR is diligently giving out the titles)," he added.

He cited that the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) was able to distribute 90,000 land titles in 2023.

The agency actually targeted last year to complete the subdivision of about 34,500 collective certificates of land ownership awards (CLOA) covering 345,089 hectares of land and issuing 134,000 individual titles to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).

In Davao City on Wednesday, the President led the distribution of at least 2,529 land titles to 2,672 beneficiaries.

He told the people of Davao that the distribution of land titles was the first step to enable farmers to be freed from poverty. He vowed to them that his administration will uplift their lives, assuring them of the whole-of-government approach to ensure that farming will no longer be the most difficult job in the Philippines.

The Chief Executive, however, emphasized that farmers’ freedom from hunger and poverty will not be achieved only through the distribution of land titles. He said the administration should provide them all the government assistance and services they deserve.

“Kailangan din ng mga karagdagang imprastraktura, kung kaya naman nagpapagawa rin tayo ng mga bodega at kalsadang malalapit sa [mga] sakahan sa pamilihan. Para hindi tayo--- hindi kayo nahihirapan na dalhin ang inyong ani mula sa pinagsasakahan ninyo hanggang doon sa palengke, para mababa pati ang presyo, mas malaki ang kikitain ng ating magsasaka (Additional infrastructures are needed, so we are building warehouses and roads from farms to market. With this, it will no longer be hard to bring your produce to the markets which will lower prices and give you more earnings),” Marcos said.

He urged the government to act on the farmers' concerns in a bid to pull them up from poverty and improve their livelihood through modern ways of farming, harvesting, and in selling of their goods.