[SPLIT News Alert] PBBM to distribute 1,287 land titles to 1,270 Palawan farmers, and to turn-over farm to market roads (FMRs)

Coron, Palawan – On September 19, 2024, President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III will distribute Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs), as well as turn-over of Farm-to-Market Roads (FMRs) at Coron, Palawan, a significant stride in the implementation of agrarian reform program.

The distribution will benefit 1,217 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) from the 1,234 E-Titles issued and registered under Project SPLIT, with an aggregate area of 2,921.96 hectares. Further, the Department will also distribute 53 CLOAs totaling 4.8277 hectares of land in Narra, Palawan, a resettlement area, under its regular program.

This is a breakthrough for the Department after being hindered by several factors in the acquisition and distribution of the Busuanga Pasture Reserve (BPR), a vast tract of agricultural land in the Island Municipalities of Coron and Busunaga, Palawan and will be finally distributed to landless farmers, including 19 agriculture graduates and 50 rebel returnees, an all-inclusive approach toward an equitable land distribution and rural development.

Furthermore, the Department is set to turn over the key Farm-to-Market Roads to ease agricultural activities and better transport goods within the benefitting rural communities. The projects include: San Nicolas to So. Caniogan FMR: Spanning 0.300 kilometers with a project cost of Php 14,489,778.72; So. Nalbot to Arado FMR: Stretching 0.481 kilometers, costing Php 14,922,675.05. and; Busuang to Caruray FMR: Measuring 0.580 kilometers with a project investment of Php 14,891,930.21.

These roads are expected to improve connectivity between farming communities and local markets, enhancing the economic activities and quality of life for the 1,075 ARBs in the First Legislative District, Province of Palawan, who are the direct beneficiaries of these projects.

These efforts are aligned with the Department’s commitment to ensuring the benefits of the agrarian reform program, reaching the grassroots level, thereby enhancing both the economic welfare of the ARB communities and to boost agricultural productivity of the region.