PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led on Monday, April 8, 2024, the distribution of 4,724 Certificates of Land Ownership Award (Cloa) and Electronic Titles (e-titles) to 2,797 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Negros Occidental.
Of the total beneficiaries, 2,828 titles were handed over to 1,551 ARBs in the northern part of Negros Occidental and 1,896 titles to 1,246 beneficiaries in the southern part of the province.
Marcos said more than 11,000 Cloa and e-titles will be distributed to the ARBs in the province within the year.
It is part of the around 100,000 Cloas and e-titles that the government is expected to distribute for 2024.
“Ang ating pagtitipon dito sa Bago City ay patunay na ang inyong pamahalaan, sa pangunguna ng Department of Agrarian Reform, ay hindi tumitigil sa pagtupad ng aming pangako na mamahagi ng mga lupang sakahan sa ating mga benepisyaryo,” he said.
(Our gathering here in Bago City is proof that your government, led by the Department of Agrarian Reform, will not stop fulfilling our promise to distribute farm lands to our beneficiaries.)
“Sa ating pagtataguyod ng Bagong Pilipinas, layunin natin ang sabay-sabay na pag-unlad kung saan walang sinuman ang maiiwan sa pag-asenso. Itong programang pang-agrikultura ng pamahalaan ay nagpapakita lamang ng seryosong pagkilos ng administrasyon upang matulungan kayo na magkaroon ng higit na kakayahan, kasanayan at mga pagkakataon sa pag-unlad,” he added.
(In pushing for the new Philippines, we aim for simultaneous development where no one is left behind in advancement. This government agricultural program only shows the serious action of the administration to help you have more skills, and skills and development opportunities.)
Marcos also distributed P69.17 million worth of assistance, which includes organic fertilizer, farm machinery and equipment (FMEs), Tulay ng Pangulo Para sa Kaunlarang Pang-Agraryo (TPKP), and Farm-to-Market Roads (FRMs) to 1,830 beneficiaries in Negros Occidental.
In July, Marcos signed into law the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which condones farmers with awarded lands from amortizations, including interest and surcharges.
It benefited more than 610,054 Filipino farmers tilling more than 1.7 million hectares of land agrarian reform lands, making them debt-free from P57.65 billion of agrarian arrears.
Marcos noted that the ARBs are the government’s partners in national development and major contributors to food security as he assured them of continued support to boost their agricultural productivity.
“Sa ating mga agrarian reform beneficiaries, maituturing po kayong mga buhay na bayani ng ating panahon. Kayo ang sandigan namin upang masiguro na sapat ang pagkain sa hapag ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino. Sa ating pagkakaisa, tiyak akong mapapayabong natin hindi lamang ang agrikultura dito sa inyong lugar, kung hindi pati na sa buong ekonomiya ng Pilipinas,” he said.
(Among our agrarian reform beneficiaries, you can be considered the living heroes of our time. You are our support to ensure that there is enough food on the table of every Filipino family. With our unity, I am certain that we will prosper not only the agriculture here in your area, but also the entire economy of the Philippines.)
“Makaasa kayo na kabalikat ninyo ako at ang buong pamahalaan sa lahat ng inyong pagsisikap. Nawa’y samahan ninyo ako sa pagsasakatuparan ng isang Bagong Pilipinas – isang bansang walang nagugutom at ang lahat ay kumikilos para sa kapakanan ng lahat,” he added.
(You can count on me and the entire government to support you in all your efforts. May you join me in realizing a new Philippines -- a country where no one goes hungry and everyone works for the good of all.) (TPM/SunStar Philippines)