DA distributes land to 434 ARBs
QUEZON
After more than two decades of fighting for a piece of land, 434 farmer beneficiaries in Quezon province have finally received 1,270 hectares of agricultural land from the government.
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said the recipients of the certificate of land ownership awards (CLOAs) are from Bondoc Peninsula, considered as the province’s agrarian hotspot area.
The 434 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) are residents from the towns of San Narciso, San Andres, San Francisco, Buenavista, and Mulanay.
The covered landholdings include 844.23 hectares in Barangay Tala and 213.62 hectares in Barangay Camflora, both in San Andres town; 172.72 hectares in Barangay Busok-busokan and 16.76 hectares in Barangay Vigo Central in San Narciso; and 22.28 hectares in Barangay Tayuman in San Francisco.
The large part of distributed landholdings were from the Hacienda Reyes property.
DAR OIC Secretary Rosalina Bistoyong together with Undersecretary Karlo Bello led the distribution of CLOAs last Wednesday in San Narciso town.
“This triumph is not only for ourselves but for our children and the future of the next generation,” Bistoyong said.
In addition, support services will soon be provided to the ARBs in the area, she said.
Among the support programs that DAR will immediately implement include the distribution of 12.5 million worth of seedlings and farm machineries.
She also encouraged the ARBs to develop their lands and told them not to mortgage or sell the same.
Earlier, DAR Secretary Rosalina Bistoyong said the agency will aim to distribute 53,841 hectares of land for 46,072 ARBs in 2018.
She said the agency will work to provide sufficient support to farmers and further develop the agriculture sector of the country using the department’s budget for 2018.