289 ARBs in Dinagat get their land titles
SAN JOSE, Dinagat Islands -- A total of 289 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Dinagat Islands are now finally owners of the land they are tilling after receiving their Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) from the Department of Agrarian Reform in Dinagat Islands (DAR-PDI).
File photo |
An
initiated activity by Secretary John R. Castriciones called “DAR to Door”,
personnel of DAR Dinagat Islands delivered the CLOAs into the agrarian
beneficiaries’ homes.
A total
of 349.2696 hectares of agricultural
lands were distributed during the said activities conducted between May and
July 2021.
Of these
ARBs, 272 are from the seven barangays of Libjo town and 17 ARBs were from four
barangays of Basilisa town.
Farmer
Enecita P. Aguilar of Brgy. Rosita in Libjo was overwhelmed with joy and
gratitude after receiving her CLOA right at the doorstep of their
own home.
“Certainly,
I will not forget this day. For so many years I have been waiting for the CLOA
of my land and finally, I have now the title in my hand delivered to my
doorstep” said Enecita.
DAR Dinagat
Islands Agrarian Reform Officer II Marilyn Fugoso said the DAR to Door program
is DAR’s way of extending the office services to the ARBs and their families
amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a
sheer joy watching our agrarian beneficiaries beaming with happiness when they
received their land titles,” said ARPO II Fugoso.
Meanwhile,
Antonio C. Gillo of Barangay Catadman in Basilisa was overjoyed when he
was handed with the CLOA.
"At
long last, I got the land that I tilled for a long time,” said Gillo.
On his
part, Maria Elizabeth L. De Guzman, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer
of DAR Surigao del Norte underscored that the DAR to Door initiative is a
manifestation that the DAR stayed true to its mandate to implement equitable
distribution and ownership of land and prioritize the delivery of support
services to the ARBs to make their land productive through capacity/capability
building and provision of other farm support services.
“In our
continuing effort even in these challenging times, we are able to provide our
ARBs the opportunity to enhance their quality of life through tenurial security
and agricultural productivity” said PARPO De Guzman.
On the same
activity, DAR-Dinagat Islands personnel facilitated the registration of these
ARBs to the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA) and in the
Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC).
Also during the distribution, the ARB recipients were oriented on their roles, rights and responsibilities as agrarian beneficiaries. After which, the ARBS expressed their commitments to make their awarded lands productive and become a member of a DAR-assisted agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organization nearest to their area. (Daryll M. Tumbaga, DAR-Surigao del Norte/PIA-Surigao del Norte)