Farmer-beneficiaries receive their e-titles in Pototan town, Iloilo. (Department of Agrarian Reform)
ILOILO CITY—Secretary Conrado Estrella III of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed land titles to 5,837 farmers in Western Visayas region.
“From being passive participants, our farmers will now become active partners in improving their lives and advancing rural development,” Estrella said during the Jan. 12 distribution of electronic land titles in Pototan town, Iloilo province.
The e-titles were part of DAR’s Support to Parcelization for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project. Under SPLIT, Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) are given individual land titles from previous collective landholdings.
A total of 5,837 ARBs from Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Guimaras provinces were given 6,472 e-titles.
The province of Capiz had the highest number of farmer beneficiaries with 2,056 with 2,248 e-titles, followed by Iloilo with 1,717 farmer-beneficiaries with 1,849 e-titles.
The province of Antique had 1,107 farmer-beneficiaries with 1,108 titles. The province of Guimaras had 496 farmer-beneficiaries with 804 e-titles. The province of Aklan had 461 farmer beneficiaries with 463 e-titles.
Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr., Vice Gov. Nathalie Ann Debuque, Rep. Lorenz Defensor, Pototan Mayor Rafael Enrique “Adi” Lazaro, and local officials were present during the event.