An agrarian reform beneficiary proudly shows his Certificate of Land Ownership Award (Photo courtesy of DAR Agusan del Sur)
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur – Two thousand six hundred eighty seven farmers from five provinces of the Caraga region formally received yesterday individual land titles covering 4,505 hectares of lands during nationwide simultaneous awarding event marking the signing of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. of Republic Act No. 11953 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act yesterday.
According to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the new law condones a total of PhP57.56 billion of unpaid amortizations from the principal debt incurred by around 610,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) cultivating 1.173 million hectares of land across the country.
The new agrarian reform beneficiaries received the land titles at the Datu Lipus Makapandong Cultural Center and witnessed by municipal mayors, other local government officials and DAR’s municipal agrarian reform officers.
Lawyer Merlita Capinpuyan, DAR-Caraga regional director, said all the individual titles are already annonated at the back of the document to show that it is already covered by Republic Act No. 11953.
Capinpuyan said the titleholders can use the document as collateral when they apply for a bank loan.