Agsur ARBs receive CLOAs,
FMR, farm machineries from DAR
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN CITY – Some five
hundred sixty-three (563) farmers from the different municipalities/city in the
province of Agusan del Sur have recently received their Certificate of Land
Ownership Award (CLOA) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Provincial
Office, with the presence of the officials from central office, during the turn
over ceremony at the Municipal Gymnasium of Trento, Agusan del Sur.
Mayor William Calvez of
Trento, who hosted the said event in his municipality, expressed his thanks to
DAR and to all the ARBs for working together and for putting more efforts to
uplift the lives of the farmer sector.
“I am happy to see our
ARBs have received their own land titles from DAR. Thank you to all the
officials of DAR for your sincerity in helping our farmers,” said Calvez.
Of the more than two
thousand farmers who attended the event, many have expressed their gratitude to
DAR Provincial Office Agusan del Sur headed by Regional Director Jamil
Amatonding, Jr., and their working staff for doing an extra mile, especially
that they have been waiting for the CLOA to be given to them for many
years.
“Napakasaya ko at sa wakas
ay naibigay na ang titulo ng lupa na mula pa sa yumaon kong ama. Mas palalaguin
ko pa ang aming lupain at pupunuin ang taniman para mas kumite (I am delighted
that finally the land title which my late father have long been wanting to have
is already in my hands now. I will nurture the farm land and have it planted
with more planting species),” bared Gilbert Plaza, ARB from Sta. Josefa, Agusan
del Sur.
“Maraming salamat kay
President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. sa malasakit niya sa amin at sa pagbigay ng
titulong ito. Nagpapasalamat din ako sa DAR sa kanilang pagsisikap na
matulungan ang mga farmers (Big thanks to our President Bongnong Marcos, Jr.,
for his concern and sincerity in wanting to help us by ensuring that we will
have our own land. I also thanked the DAR for their perseverance),” shared
Maria Fe Montilla, ARB from Rosario, Agusan del Sur.
With the turned-over
farm-to-market road (FMR) and farm machineries from DAR, the farmers’ sales and
income are expected to rise, especially that the FMR has covered the pathway to
Barangay Poblacion, where the Vetrebuns Arc Cluster Rice Processing Complex is
located.
"This program is implemented under the Convergence on Value Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment (ConVERGE) and funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Because of this, we expect to have higher harvest and income,” said Maximo Gegato, Jr., Manager, Vetrebuns Arc Cluster Rice Processing Complex, Trento, Agusan del Sur.
Atty. Kazel Celeste,
Undersecretary for Field Operations Office of DAR emphasized that DAR will
continue to pour in more aid for the farmer sector to help more ARBs, per
directive of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
Meanwhile, Dir. Jamil Amatonding, Jr., Provincial Director of Dar-Agusan del Sur highlighted the significant role and contribution of the farmers as they ensure food security in the province, and in the region, in general. "We give value to our farmers because without them we won't have food to eat,” he said. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
