(Infographic courtesy of DAR-5)
MASBATE CITY – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is set to distribute more than 6,600 land titles and Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROM) to more than 5,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the Bicol Region.
In a media release on Friday night, DAR 5 (Bicol) Director Reuben Theodore Sindac said this is part of the ongoing implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11953 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on July 7, 2023.
RA 11953 aims to alleviate the financial burdens of ARBs by condoning their unpaid loans, interests, and surcharges while ensuring tenure security through the distribution of land titles.
Sindac said the ceremonial distribution, which will take place at the Fuerte CamSur Sports Complex in Pili, Camarines Sur, on Monday, would benefit 5,006 ARBs, with 6,665 land titles and COCROMs across 9,141.28 hectares of land.
A total of 5,255 COCROMs will be awarded to 3,988 ARBs from the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon, covering 7,115.98 hectares of land.
Another 1,410 land titles will be distributed to 1,018 ARBs, covering a combined area of 2,025.30 hectares of agricultural land.
Of these, 1,018 are electronic titles (e-titles) issued under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project. The remaining titles include 392 regular Emancipation Patents and Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) issued under Presidential Decree 27 and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
The event will be attended by DAR Undersecretary for Special Concerns Office and External Affairs and Communications Operations Office Rowena Niña Taduran, along with regional and local government officials.
The gathering will highlight the administration’s unified support to uplift the socio-economic status of Filipino farmers.
“DAR-Bicol remains committed to transforming agrarian reform communities by providing access to land ownership, financial relief, and support services, empowering ARBs to become resilient and productive stewards of the land,” Sindac said. (PNA)