The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has distributed land titles to at least 563 farmers in Pangasinan.
DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III spearheaded the title distribution last Dec. 28 covering 217 hectares of agricultural land in the towns of Tayug, Sto. Tomas, Balungao, Rosales, Umingan, and Lingayen City.
Eighty-eight of the 563 beneficiaries received electronic land titles (e-titles) issued under the agency’s Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling or Project SPLIT.
“The 88 agrarian reform beneficiaries under the Project SPLIT were previously awarded lands under collective certificates of land ownership award (CCLOAs). This time, they were given individual e-titles after the department went through the process of subdividing the CCLOAs,” Estrella said.
Project SPLIT is meant to strengthen the beneficiaries’ land tenure security and property rights to their lands.
The remaining 475 agrarian reform beneficiaries were awarded regular land titles or CLOAs issued under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
The DAR chief said the distribution activities were anchored on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s plans “to empower the farmers and boost the agricultural sector.”
He announced the positive news about the approval on final reading of House Bill No. 6336 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act by the House of Representatives.
The proposed measure aims to free the farmer-beneficiaries from the financial burden of paying loans extended in relation to awarded agricultural lands under the CARP.
“When this law is enacted, agrarian reform beneficiaries who have yet to be awarded agricultural lands from the CARP will receive so without any obligation for amortization,” Estrella said.
The bill, if passed, would preclude estate tax payments on awarded lands.
