PBBM distributes 5,438 land titles, P509.45 million support services to Eastern Visayas farmers
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the distribution of 5,438 land titles and formally turned over P509.45 million worth of infrastructure projects and farm machineries on Monday, May 20, 2024, held at Tacloban City Convention Center.
Of the 5,438 land titles, 5,400 are electronic titles issued under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling Project (Project SPLIT), and 38 certificates of landownership award (CLOAs) under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), involving 7,914 hectares of lands located in several towns in the provinces of Leyte/Biliran, Southern Leyte, Western Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar.
About 5,060 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) would benefit from this undertaking.
“We know that farmers wish to own the land they are tilling for many years, I will assure you that the land distribution will be completed by the next four years,” Marcos Jr. said.
Marcos said that the mandate of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) does not end in land distribution but will also provide support services to the ARBs to enable them to enrich their lands and improve the quality of their lives.
The P509.45 million worth of support services turned over to the ARBs which include farm-to-market roads, PBBM bridges (Pang-Agraryong Tulay para sa Bagong Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka), irrigation projects, and farm machinery, were provided to ARB organizations and communities of this region.
Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III acknowledged the presence of the oldest ARBs who received the land titles which include Emiliano Melendres Sacate, 93 years old from Northern Samar; Juanito Dumanhug, 84 years old from Southern Leyte; Pablo Cajepe, 72 yrs old from Leyte; and Fedil Cabanganga, 70 yrs old from Samar.
“For decades, these farmers have been waiting for their lands, and now the time has come for them to receive their lands,” Estrella said.
Also present in the activity were Leyte 4th District Richard Gomez, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, and Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan.
