DAR gives P137-M projects to Kalinga residents

TABUK CITY: Some 222 residents of Kalinga province now own at least 85 hectares of riceland that they have been tilling for decades and will soon benefit from P137- million worth of infrastructure projects.

Department of Agrarian Reform ( DAR) Secretary Rafael Mariano recently distributed 195 Award ( CLOA) to the Agrarian this city and the towns of Lubua- gan, Pinukpuk and Balbalan.

The residents said they have waited for so long to have their piece of land titled under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program as a guarantee of ownership to their land.

Mariano with DAR Undersecretary Sylvia Mallari also turned over P137-million worth of infrastructure projects to Agrarian Reform Communities in Rizal, Pasil and Tinglayan towns.

The projects are the P6-million Bulo Communal Irrigation Project ; P4.4- million Bulo Pump CIP; P3.9- million Pangul CIP; P3.8-million Pangul Pump CIP; P35- million Macutay-San Quintin- Liwan East Farm- to- Market Road; P43.5- million BugnayBuscalan- Butbut FMR; P13.6million Balinciagao Communal Irrigation System; and P27-million Cagaluan-Ableg FMR.

Mariano said the FMR projects will reduce travel time of commuters and pave the way for the fast transport of local goods to the market.

He added that there are at least 120 ARBs of Balinciagao CIP funded under the third Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project or ARISP III in Pasil town.

“With these projects, farmers have started opening new areas for rice production, increasing their rice yield from three to four metric tons per hectare,” Mariano said.