Marcos leads distribution of e-titles to beneficiaries

PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. personally led the distribution of 2,529 electronic land titles (e-titles) or equivalent to approximately 3,560 hectares to around 2,672 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the entire Davao Region, following his presidential visit to Davao City on Wednesday, February 7, 2024.

The second installment of the distribution of the agricultural titles was handed out at Rizal Memorial Colleges Gymnasium, this city where Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III assisted the president in the distribution ceremony.

The event is pursuant to the implementation of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project, which is anchored on improving land tenure security and strengthening the property rights of ARBs.

In his speech, Marcos said that he wanted the government to double the 90,000 titles that were distributed last year under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) before his six-year term expires.

“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.

Marcos also vowed that his administration would improve the lives of not just Dabawenyos but also every Filipino, particularly the farmers by making sure that the entire government will collectively work together to make farming in the country the top priority sector of his leadership.

“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” Marcos stressed.

(Additional infrastructures are needed, so we are building warehouses and roads from farms to markets. With this, it will no longer be hard to bring your produce to the markets which will lower prices and give you more earnings).

To recall, the agency originally targeted 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 2023. /