MANILA – A total of 1,071 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from across Nueva Ecija are set to receive their own land titles, debt condonation certificates, and financial assistance from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) at the Talavera National High School Gym on Friday.
In a news release Thursday, the DAR said the initiative is part of the Marcos administration's continuing effort to empower farmers while strengthening its agrarian reform program.
The DAR said the event’s highlight would be the awarding of 1,056 Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (CoCROM) to 903 ARBs, covering 1,420.71 hectares of land.
The CoCROMs will erase the farmers’ unpaid land amortizations and lift mortgage restrictions, allowing them to gain full ownership of their landholdings.
The DAR said the financial relief would enable farmer-beneficiaries to invest more in their farms, boost productivity, and support their families.
“This milestone underscores DAR’s firm resolve to ease the financial obligations of farmer-beneficiaries and affirm their full ownership of the lands they till, advancing the administration’s commitment to genuine agrarian reform,” it said.
Meanwhile, 65 land titles covering 49.01 hectares will also be distributed to 59 ARBs, under its Regular Land Acquisition and Distribution Program, while 170 e-titles covering 268.58 hectares will be handed over to 109 ARBs under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project.
The SPLIT Project ensures that farmers receive individual land ownership instead of collective titles, giving them legal security and independence over their farmlands.
Capital, livelihood expansion
The activity will also include the release of Land Bank of the Philippines loans under the Agri-Enterprise Loan Easy Access for Rural Transformation (ALERT) Program to two agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs).
The ARBO beneficiaries include the Sta. Lucia Old Multipurpose Cooperative in Zaragoza, and the Kaagapay Agrarian Reform Cooperative in Talavera.
The DAR said the loans are intended to help cooperatives enhance agricultural productivity by expanding operations and help improve members' income, promoting sustainability. (PNA)