Basilan peasant-families finally awarded lands after 17-yr petition

COTABATO CITY — After 17 years, 54 peasant-families in Basilan have finally received official documents entitling them ownership of lands they have been cultivating for decades.

The Department of Agrarian Reform of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DAR-ARMM) awarded to the 54 farmers certificates of ownership covering 153 hectares of rubber plantation in Lamitan City and organizing them into a bloc named as Maloong-Canal Farmers Agrarian Reform Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

The awarding ceremony was held last Tuesday in Lamitan City, DAR-ARMM Secretary Amihilda Sangcopan said in a statement.

ARMM Information Bureau Director Amir Mawallil said the awarded farms were derived from the long-defunct Basilan Agricultural Corporation (BATCO) where the 54 recipient farmers had been working.

ARMM Governor Mujib Hataman lauded the awarding of ownership certificates, describing it as a landmark victory for the landless peasants, Mawallil said.

Upon the closure of BATCO, the farmer- workers filed a petitioned seeking to own parts of the plantation that they tilled for years.

However, lack of resources and support from the bureaucracy kept the petition in the back burner for 17 years.

But when the Supreme Court issued a decision in favor of the peasants, the DARARMM swiftly moved to grant them ownership of the land. (Ali G. Macabalang)