THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-North has installed 19 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in a 23-hectare land in Cadiz City earlier this week.
Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Myrna Omaliao, who led the installation activity, reminded the farmer-beneficiaries of their responsibilities and obligations as the new owners of the land.
"Owning a land is every Filipino's right, and we are here to help them uphold such right," Omaliao said, as she told ARBs that "this milestone will be of great help to the improvement of their lives."
The covered landholding was formerly owned by Jose Maria Regalado situated at Barangay Luna in the northern Negros Occidental city.
The activity was conducted through the process of land acquisition and distribution (LAD) under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (Carper).
The government, through the DAR, is mandated to acquire and distribute public and private agricultural landholdings to tenants, farmers, farmworkers and other tillers who are qualified to become ARBs.
This is in the form of certificates of land ownership award (Cloas) 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.
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 lives.