Validation of ARBs in Leyte nears completion

By JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA
November 27, 2024

BURAUEN, Leyte – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Leyte is near to complete its validation of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) within the 10,669 targeted landholdings, covering an aggregate area of 93,940.1486 hectares, throughout the province under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project.

On Thursday last week, November 14, three field validation teams (FVTs) converged in Barangay Kagbana, an upland village, about 25 kilometers away from this town, to validate some 229 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) of lot 12185 issued previously with a collective Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA).

Under the World Bank-assisted SPLIT project, landholdings covered by collective CLOAs are subdivided and electronically generated individual land titles are eventually issued to ARBs to improve land tenure security and strengthen property rights.

Rodolfo Ecija, 61, the barangay chairman of Barangay Kagbana, was grateful that despite the distance SPLIT project reached their place.

Elma Banagbanag, 55 and a member of the Mamanwa tribe, expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III for the opportunity to be a beneficiary of the government’s agrarian reform program.

Geodetic Engineer Bridget Alvarez, who handles the three FVTs disclosed that Leyte has already accomplished 10,517 landholdings covered by collective CLOAs with a combined area of 80,085.98 hectares, leaving a balance of only 12,597.92 hectares.

Alvarez shared that the bulk of the remaining balance is situated in this town, while the others are in the municipality of Palo, and are expected to be completed by the end of November this year.