DAR empowers ARB organizations

By JOHN PAUL BELCHES, DAR-8
August 5, 2025

TACLOBAN CITY – Fourteen agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) from Leyte, Biliran and Southern Leyte are expected to transform into productive and resilient farmer groups after their leaders undergo a two-day leadership and organizational management training conducted by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on July 24 to 25 this year in this city.

Focusing on practical leadership skills, legal literacy, and sustainable farming techniques, the training upskill the participants with strategies to build effective governance, member engagement, and climate-resilient practices.

Emphasizing the importance of the training, Ma. Elsa Veloso, DAR Eastern Visayas Regional Chief Administrative Officer and Capability Building and Technical Assistance (CBTA) lead coordinator under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project, said “Alam po namin na hindi biro ang maging lider o opisyal ng isang organisasyon – maraming responsibilidad, maraming kailangang ayusin, at laging may inaasahang resulta mula sa inyo. That’s why we prepared this training to help support and strengthen your leadership and management skills.”

Virginia Docallos, an agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) from Naval, Biliran and secretary of Pangkaunlarang Kilusan ng taga-Catmon Agrarian Reform Cooperative (PAKITARCO), shared that, “This training is a big help in strengthening our cooperative. We are able to clearly identify the specific roles of each member, which will help us move forward together, not just for the benefit of the organization, but also for our individual members and our community.”

Meanwhile, Riza Barbosa, another ARB from Palo and a member of the Cangumbang Agrarian Reform Cooperative (CARECO), said “I was able to know my rights as a tenant, and I have learned what are the possible strategies and qualifications of being a good leader and a good member in a cooperative.