DAR distributes land titles to farmers, turns over bridge project in E. Visayas
THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has turned over a P9-million bridge project in Balangiga, Eastern Samar and distributed 1,047 land titles to 1,006 agrarian-reform beneficiaries from six provinces in Eastern Visayas.
Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III, accompanied by Senator Imee Marcos, handed over the land titles on January 26, which covered a total of 1,571 hectares of agricultural lands in the region.
Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, DAR regional director, said most of the individual land titles were processed under the “Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT)” project.
Aside from the farmers reaping the rewards for owning individual land titles, the local government units where the properties are located will also benefit in terms of possible earnings from tax payments that can be collected due to the ownership of land.
Meanwhile, the DAR also recently turned over the “Tulay ng Pangulo Para sa Kaunlarang Pang-agraryo” project in Brgy. Sta. Rosa, Balangiga.
Officials from DAR and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) led the inauguration and turnover of the Cambukol Bridge on January 27 to the Balangiga municipal government represented by Mayor Atty. Dana Flynch de Lira.
“This is a very historic moment for Brgy. Santa Rosa for having [its] first concrete bridge...this event is a symbolism where the town of Balangiga can cross from the state of poverty to progress,” de Lira said.
The span will benefit a total of 14,341 residents in the area—including the 823 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBS) residing in Balangiga’s agrarian reform communities (ARC) composed of seven barangays: Poblacion 1, San Miguel, Cansumangcay, Sta. Rosa, Cag-olango, Guimaayohan and Baciao.
“We are very happy with this project. It will surely promote rural development in [this region’s] ARCS. Thank you, DAR and DPWH,” said Brgy. Chairman Danilo Abigan of Sta. Rosa.
Abigan added that the bridge will provide residents and ARBS easier access in bringing their farm products to the market, compared to the old one made only of wooden materials which have caused some of the residents to accidentally fall into the river.
Estrella said that this is another milestone on the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration: “[He] is fulfilling his promise to provide support services to the ARBS. Whereas before [there was difficulty in transporting…products, here now is ‘Tulay…’ to ease…] transportation problems.”
Yu shared that the Cambukol Bridge has a 28.00 linear meter, two-lane, one-span prefabricated modular-steel technology supplied by the French government.