More farmers are set to gain secure land ownership in 2025 as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) intensifies its efforts to distribute 396,430 electronic titles (e-titles) covering 400,000 hectares to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project.
The announcement was made during the CY 2024 SPLIT Project National Assessment and CY 2025 Direction-Setting Conference, which was held on February 10-14, 2025, at the Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.
Under the leadership of Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III, DAR reported its accomplishments under Project SPLIT as of December 31, 2024: 1,322,379 hectares validated in the field, 312,421 hectares redocumented, and 174,111 hectares registered and distributed to ARBs.
For CY 2025, DAR has set its goal of registering and distributing 396,430 e-titles, covering approximately 400,000 hectares of agricultural land nationwide.
The conference took place amid continued support from the World Bank, which recently extended its land titling loan to sustain Project SPLIT. Following the project’s restructuring in December 2024, the World Bank extended the closing date to December 31, 2027.
This extension provides financial stability to Project SPLIT, ensuring that farmers will receive their titles without delay while allowing DAR to streamline its processes for efficiency. The additional time and funding will help strengthen on-ground validation, redocumentation, and registration efforts, ensuring a seamless transition from collective to individual land ownership.
This financial backing reinforces the government’s commitment to agrarian reform and rural development, ensuring sustained funding and technical assistance for its implementation.
“In consonance with the directive of the President to accelerate the distribution of land titles, combined with this extension, let us take this as a fresh jumpstart. This serves as the full-year jumpstart for the project implementation of SPLIT. This would enable the whole of DAR, especially those engaged directly in the implementation of Project SPLIT, to refine strategies for the whole year until its full completion by 2027,” said Undersecretary for Finance, Management, and Administration Office (FMAO) Lani C. De Leon during the five-day conference, emphasizing the significance of this initiative.
Project SPLIT is DAR’s flagship initiative that aims to fast-track the subdivision of collective Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) into individual titles. By securing individual land titles, ARBs will have improved access to government programs, financial support, and a stronger sense of ownership over their agricultural land. While challenges remain, DAR has laid out strategic measures to overcome these hurdles and ensure efficient implementation.
With a strong action plan and international support, DAR is confident in reaching its 2025 target, reinforcing its commitment to agrarian justice and rural development.
