DAR releases 1,819 land titles to Cordillera farmer-beneficiaries
BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Agrarian Reform-Cordillera released a total of 1,819 Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) covering an area of 937 hectares in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) to 1,652 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) during a turn-over ceremony here last Thursday.
There were 387 ARBs from Mountain Province who received their individual CLOAs; 379 from Kalinga; 376 from Ifugao; 351 from Ifugao; 120 from Apayao; and 39 from Abra.
DAR Undersecretary for Field Operations Karlo Bello, together with Regional Director Marjorie Ayson and other officials of the department, were present for the occasion which many ARBs have been waiting to happen for over 20 years.
Among those who received a CLOA for her 2.2-hectare rice land was 58-yearold Rosalina Barwelo of Alfonso Lista, Ifugao who waited for over ten years to hold a document that says she owns the land she is tilling to plant rice. Barwelo was all smiles after the title was handed to her.
Bello said President Duterte issued a clear policy instruction to give the individual titles or CLOAs to the ARBs for the department to perform its mandate with immediacy.
“President Duterte wants individual titling of lands for our beneficiaries, not the collective CLOAs,” Bello said.
He added that the President has also mandated the DAR to boost the provision of support services to the ARBs to develop the lands awarded to them.
Bello was recently designated by Malacañang as acting OIC Secretary of the DAR until the return of OIC Secretary Rosalina Bistoyong from an official trip abroad.
The official said the activity is very important because it formalizes the recognition of the legitimacy of the ownership of the farmers over the land they till.