The Provincial Agrarian Reform Office in Cebu is preparing for the titling and distribution of 3,000 hectares of public agricultural lands in 14 barangays in Catmon town, northern Cebu.
Provincial Agrarian Reform officer Isagani Yee said that these lands were previously under the control and administration of the National Livelihood and Support Fund.
These lands are located in barangays Binongkalan, Tabili, Ginabukan, Basak, Anapog, Bactas, Catadman, Flores, Cabunga-an, Agsuwao, Duyan, Tinabyonan, Corazon and Catmon Daan, Yee said.
The Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources informed the potential applicants and the barangay officials during the pulong-pulong (meeting) in barangay Tinabyonan on Aug. 12 and and in barangay Binongkalan on Aug. 13 on the guidelines and procedures in the conduct of land surveys and titling of the subject lots.
Yee said the lands covered are classified as alienable and disposable agricultural lands and were approved for agrarian distribution in 1986.
Engineer Cynthia Ibañez, DENR chief of Aggregate Survey Section of the Land Management Sector (LMS) in Central Visayas, said that sometime in the 1980s, the department conducted a land survey in Catmon and there were problems encountered with the contracted survey.
The DAR Cebu survey team will continue the survey for the issuance of the title while DENR will facilitate the approval of the DAR survey results and the actions needed to complete the survey.
Yee urged the cooperation of the actual occupants or claimants to identify the boundaries. He also encouraged them to be present during the survey schedules in their respective barangays.
Yee said the first survey will be on Aug. 22-26 in barangay Tinabyonan.
Present during the meeting on Aug. 12 and 13 were DAR officials Flor Tampus, engineers Edward Gamayon and Elmer Grengia, Teresita Narciso, Edna Ramirez and Rosanna Gay Visitacion and municipal agrarian reform officer Norma Quiros.