THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has awarded a total of 267 combined individual and electronic land titles (e-titles) and certificates of land ownership to a total of 230 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Calabarzon.

Atty. Luis Meinrado Pañgulayan, DAR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research Office, said that the said titles cover a total area of 241.8 hectares of agricultural land located in Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon 1, and Quezon II.

Pañgulayan,who led the distribution of land titles, added that 186 e-titles were issued to 157 ARBs under the agency’s Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling or Project SPLIT.

The Project SPLIT aims to strengthen the ARB’s land tenure security and property rights to their lands.

The remaining 81 CLOAs were issued under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and distributed to 73 ARBs.

(During the distribution of land titles, Pañgulayan announced the enactment into law of Republic Act 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which will free the ARBs from the financial burden of paying loans extended in relation to awarded agricultural lands under CARP.

“Last July 7, RA 11953 was signed by the President in Malacañang. ARBs like you who have yet to be awarded agricultural lands from the CARP will receive so without any obligation for amortization,” Pangulayan explained.

According to Pañgulayan, the New Agrarian Emancipation Act will also exempt tax payments on awarded lands to ARBs.

Meanwhile, one of the beneficiaries, Corazon Necafort, 72, from Rosario, Batangas, was very grateful for her CLOA from the DAR.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Cory Martinez