Four hundred eighty-one agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Northern Samar have received individual Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
The e-titles, covering 865.68 hectares, were distributed on November 12 in Victoria, Northern Samar, through the World Bank-assisted SPLIT project, which subdivides collective land titles to improve ARB property rights and land tenure security.
DAR Assistant Secretary for External Affairs, Rodolfo Castil Jr., led the distribution event, emphasizing President Bongbong Marcos’ commitment to providing a better livelihood for farmers.
Castil urged recipients to care for their awarded lands to ensure future generations benefit from them.
DAR Eastern Visayas Regional Director Robert Anthony Yu noted that the awarded lands are in Bobon, Capul, Victoria, San Antonio, and Gamay, with the event held at Victoria’s Stardome, 58 kilometers from the provincial capital.
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) chair, also attended, expressing the President’s directive to protect ARB lands from unlawful seizure.
Romualdez highlighted discussions with General Ligayo of the 8th Infantry Division, stressing that land security is vital for addressing regional insurgency under the End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) initiative.
One recipient, 50-year-old Viviana Carmen, expressed gratitude, noting that the land title means financial independence, enabling her to support her family’s needs without giving a share to former landowners.
Additionally, DAR turned over a ₱20-million check to Catarman’s local government for a farm-to-market road project.