INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has guaranteed individual land titles to 18 agrarian reform beneficiaries following the validation of a 43-hectare agricultural land in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
“The issuance of individual land titles to the ARBs will strengthen their property rights to the lands they are tilling,” said DAR Western Visayas Regional Director Atty. Sheila Enciso in a Friday press release.
According to the DAR, two landholdings in Brgy. Mabini, and Cadiz City were validated. Both properties are managed by Alberto Tad-y Sr., covering areas of 19.7108 and 23.3163 hectares.
Enciso reiterated that land validation is part of the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling Project, which intends to “fast-track the subdivision of collective or co-owned Certificate of Land Ownership Award into individual land parcels and issue individual land titles.”
Over 410k hectares of land left
In a separate release, DAR announced on Friday that it would also conduct land validation activities “as soon as possible” on the remaining 410,897 hectares of land nationwide targeted for redistribution to ARBs.
“We will be going around the country conducting these validations to inspect landholdings and find out the status of these farmlands. We want to identify issues and concerns of these lands pending in different line agencies so that we can resolve them as soon as possible,” said DAR Field Operations Office Undersecretary Atty. Kazel Celeste.
Pilot testing for the DAR’s field validation series began in Tuguegarao on May 17, and lasting until May 20.
Celeste said that validation teams would be engaged in all regions of the country to “review and validate pertinent documents needed to determine the magnitude of landholdings” qualified for certificates of land ownership award and emancipation patents.
“Each team will discuss, identify, and determine land acquisition and distribution status. They will also address problems on documentary requirements to ensure the smooth processing of landholdings so that these lands will eventually be distributed to bonafide ARBs,” said the undersecretary.
Land validation orders align with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to hasten land distribution to ARBs such as farmers, landless war veterans and their surviving families, retired military and police, and agriculture graduates, said Celeste.
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