DAR starts distribution of e-titles under SPLIT in EV

By JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA
January 31, 2023

TACLOBAN CITY – Agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Eastern Visayas start receiving their individual land titles generated under the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR’s) Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project.

On Thursday and Friday last week, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III handed at the Visayas State University (VSU) gymnasium in Tolosa, Leyte and at the covered court of Balangiga in Eastern Samar, 890 electronically-generated individual Certificates of Land Ownership Award (E-CLOAs) under the World Bank-funded SPLIT project.

The same number of ARBs received the said land titles covering an aggregate area of 1,402.6660 hectares of agricultural lands.

Of the 890 E-CLOAs, 690 were distributed in Tolosa covering a combined area of 1,123.6289 hectares of farmlands situated in the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Western Samar and Northern Samar, while the remaining 200 E-CLOAs covering 279.0371 hectares situated in Balangiga and Lawaan towns were distributed at the Balangiga covered court.

Estrella explained that the DAR handed collective CLOAs in the past to expedite the distribution of lands which resulted to uncertainties among the ARBs regarding their respective areas.

Now, with the parcelization of the collective CLOAs and the issuance of individual titles, the beneficiary is installed to his/her designated lot thereby improving land tenure security and strengthen property rights, while the local government unit will have an increased collection of real property tax, he added.

DAR Regional Director for Eastern Visayas, Robert Anthony Yu, said 17,496 collective CLOAs covering 220,473 hectares of agricultural lands situated in different parts of the region are subject for parcelization under the SPLIT project.

In Tolosa, Estrella was joined by Senator Imee Marcos where 157 additional CLOAs covering a combined area of 162,2395 hectares generated under the regular land acquisition and distribution program of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) were distributed to 116 more ARBs.

Tingog Partylist representative Jude Acidre was also with the Secretary during the latter’s two-day activities in Leyte and Eastern Samar.

Marcos disclosed the bill she filed in the Senate that would emancipate ARBs from the existing debt burden grant of agricultural lands under the CARP.

On September 13 last year, Marcos’ brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., signed Executive Order No. 4 ordering a one year moratorium on the payment of the principal obligation and the annual interest due and payable by an ARB.

At 69 years old, Ruben Inciso of Lawaan, Eastern Samar was the oldest CLOA recipient at the Balangiga distribution rite. When asked for comment, he thanked President Bongbong Marcos, and Estrella that finally the 1.8-hectare farmland he is tilling is now titled under his name.

Meanwhile, more than P5.7 million worth of farm machineries and equipment were likewise turned over to agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) from Leyte, Southern Leyte and Eastern Samar on these two occasions.