THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-South distributed certificates of land ownership award (Cloas) to 64 farmer beneficiaries in La Castellana town on Thursday, October 15.

The recipient-agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) now own the 32.1682 hectares of the total 57.9371-hectare land covered under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (Carper) through Compulsory Acquisition scheme.

Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Mila Alejado, who led the distribution, said the property was formerly owned by Francisco Manalo, among others, located at Hacienda Canticbil in Barangay Robles.

"The land awarded to you are precious things that you must treasure forever and utilize to uplift the quality of your lives," Alejado told farmer-beneficiaries, urging them to take good care of the property by diligently performing their obligations as ARBs under the law.

For her part, Mayor Rhumyla Nicor-Manguilimutan appealed to the farmers to help the province, particularly La Castellana, in ensuring food security especially during this coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

"As a farmer and an ARB, I am personally asking you to help the DAR in its campaign against ariendo system as this prohibited act will not help you to succeed in life," the mayor told ARBs.

Nicor-Manguilimutan also encouraged the new landowners to form as association or cooperative in order to avail various support services not only from DAR, but also from other government agencies, including the Municipal Government.

Meanwhile, Joemar Blanca of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), who was also present at the activity, discussed the roles and obligations of ARBs to the government after receiving their land titles.

In order to ensure the safety of all the participants against Covid-19, they were required to wear their face masks as well as observe social distancing during the activity, among other precautionary measures.