THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-North has distributed over 59 hectares of land to 92 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Silay City recently.

Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Rodrigo Jose Renato Defiño, who spoke at the Certificate of Land Ownership Award (Cloa) distribution rites, said this is the completion and realization of the farmers' dreams.

"As you become the new landowners of the land, continue to persevere, and may you bear good results of your harvest and hard work," she told the ARBs.

With Negros Occidental still under the modified general community quarantine, the activity complied with the minimum health protocols set by authorities.

The 59.5886-hectare covered landholding is situated at Hacienda Macameg 3 in Barangay Bagtic of the said locality.

DAR-Negros Occidental I said the activity was conducted through land acquisition and distribution process under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms.

Under the program, public and private agricultural landholdings are acquired by the government to be distributed to tenants, farmers, farmworkers and other tillers who are qualified to become ARBs.

This is in the form of Cloas covering one contiguous tract or several parcels of land cumulated up to a maximum of three hectares per ARB.

This is anchored to the agency's aim to provide lands to landless farmers and farmworkers, guarantee the farmers' land security, deliver social equity and provide them with the necessary productive resources needed to ensure their economic viability and productivity, the agency said.

"Such continuous field activities conducted by the DAR are evidence that despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, the service for the Filipino people continues," it added.