Duterte awards land titles to 286 Quezon farmers

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday led the distribution of land titles to farmers in Mulanay town, Quezon province, in what the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) described as proof that the government was concerned about the plight of the landless.

“This ongoing proclamation is a manifestation [that] our President is so much concerned about the welfare of our farmers,” Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones said.

The government, he said, is trying to “aggressively” promote a genuine agrarian reform program to help address its goals of achieving food sufficiency.

“This is specially important considering that 70 percent of our population is involved in agriculture,” Castriciones added.

A total of 286 farmers in Mulanay are set to receive their certificate of land ownership award from the DAR, covering an area of 654 hectares, according to Undersecretary David Erro. —Melvin Gascon