75-year-old farmer receives land title for property passed down from his father

Seventy-five (75) year-old farmer Ramonito Siocon, from Zamboanga del Norte, received his long-awaited land title from President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Friday, May 24, during the distribution ceremony held at Zamboanga del Norte Convention Center, Dipolog City.

“Daghan kaayong salamat,” said Siocon, expressing his gratitude to the President and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) headed by Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III.

Siocon, who is from Barangay Bethlehem in the town of Polanco, has been planting rice, corn, and other root crops on the property that was passed on to him by his father. Now, he can finally claim the 1.7601-hectare property and divide it among his four (4) children.

Along with Siocon, 4,456 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) also received their land titles during the event. In total, 4,956 land titles covering 7,214.70 hectares of land were distributed by the President, including 1,006 regular titles under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and 3,950 electronic titles (E-titles) under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling or Project SPLIT.

Among the oldest recipients were Jose Jore, 81, and Alfredo Bonghanoy, 73, both from Zamboanga del Sur, who thanked President Marcos Jr. for fulfilling their long-held dream of owning land. They pledged to maintain and cultivate the land, leaving a legacy for future generations.

Marcos Jr. lauded the DAR for its tireless efforts to expedite the land distribution process and emphasized the importance of swift action, urging the department to distribute the remaining one million land titles to farmer-beneficiaries before the end of his term.

“Sa ating mga taga-DAR na palagay ko, ‘yung Kalihim ninyo hindi na natutulog, mas lalo pa kayong sigurong hindi natutulog, hindi na rin kumakain dahil naghahabol talaga kami upang matapos ang agrarian reform bago matapos ang aking termino,” Marcos Jr. said.

Marcos also commended the Register of Deeds, Land Management Services of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Land Bank of the Philippines, and the local government officials for coming together in the whole-of-government approach to agrarian