THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-South has installed 12 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Hinigaran town Wednesday, May 5, 2021.

The new landowners will now own and cultivate some 17 hectares of the agricultural landholding formerly owned by spouses Rafael and Lourdes Guanzon.

The said landholding located in Barangay Camalobalo was covered by the DAR under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) through compulsory acquisition.

Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Drexel Glen Pajarilla, who led the installation rites, said under Administrative Order Number 7, Series of 2011, as owners of awarded land under Carp, the ARBs shall take possession of the land covered by his or her title.

"Our ARBs shall exercise diligence in the use, cultivation and maintenance of the land and they must religiously pay their land taxes and amortizations," Pajarilla said, adding that negligence or unauthorized sale of the land or misuse of any support extended to an ARB shall be a ground for the forfeiture of one's right as a beneficiary.

He also encouraged the new landowners to organize themselves into a cooperative to avail bundles of support services from the agency, particularly from the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program.

Also present at the activity were Senior Agrarian Reform Program Technologist Dolly Chua, Agrarian Reform Program Technologists Daisy Dalguntas and Ralph Mendoza, among others.