FORTY agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Manapla town, Negros Occidental have received 71-hectare land covered under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) of the Department of the Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Ma. Victoria Delgado, who led the installation rites recently, told farmers to follow the law that provides for their responsibilities as Carp beneficiaries.

"Now that you have lands awarded to you, be responsible, take good care of it and secure that it is free from abuse," she added.

The covered landholding included a 71.8991-hectare land formerly owned by Rosario Coscoluela, among others, situated in Barangay San Pablo in the northern Negros Occidental locality.

The activity was conducted through the process of Land Acquisition and Distribution under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reform (Carper).

Under which, 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 in the form of certificate of land ownership award (Cloa) covering one contiguous tract or several parcels of land accumulated 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.

With Negros Occidental still under the Modified General Community Quarantine, the activity complied with minimum health protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health.

The DAR is the lead government agency that holds and implements comprehensive and genuine agrarian reform which actualizes equitable land distribution, ownership, agricultural productivity, and tenurial security for, of and with the tillers of the land towards the improvement of their quality of life.