THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-North has distributed certificates of land ownership awards (Cloas) to eight agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Murcia town earlier this week.

The Cloas cover over four hectares of landholding previously owned by the Philippine National Bank located in Barangay Iglau-an of the said locality.

The activity is one of the preliminary activities of the agency to acquire land under its Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (Carper).

DAR-Negros Occidental I, in a statement, said it is mandated to redistribute government and private agricultural lands to landless farmers and farmworkers.

Also, to secure the farmers' land security, social equity, and provide them with the necessary productive resources needed to ensure their economic viability and productivity.

The distribution covers those all tenanted agricultural lands such as those in the retained areas, not yet acquired for distribution under Carp, and those which may be validly covered under existing laws, it added. (EPN)