Caraga agrarian reform advances with distribution of over 33K hectares to ARBs
By Niña Jonalyn Gambe-Diamante
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) – More than 17,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) of the region went home in jubilation as they brought with them their respective land titles distributed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Caraga on August 14 at the Naliyagan Ground, Capitol Complex, Patin-ay, Prosperidad in Agusan del Sur.
The distribution of e-titles, Certificate of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROM), Land Acquisition and Distribution (LAD), Regular Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA)/Executive Order 75, and turnover of farm machineries and equipment (FMEs) was personally led by DAR Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III which made the event a more meaningful one.
Out of the five provinces of the region, Agusan del Sur ARBs were awarded with the most number of land titles with over 19,000 hectares granted, followed by Surigao del Sur with 9,594 hectares, Surigao del Norte with 3,175 hectares, 922 hectares for Dinagat Islands, and 608 hectares for Agusan del Norte.
Governor Santiago B. Cane Jr. of Agusan del Sur expressed his sincere appreciation to Secretary Estrella for his constant visits to the province, manifesting his eagerness to support the ARBs in the province.
“You are the first DAR Secretary to have visited our province every year,” said Governor Cane. “And today, your presence is well-received by our ARBs because under your leadership, and of course, backed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive, thousands of ARBs will receive their land titles today.”
Besides the land titles, DAR’s delegation also brought with them almost 20 million-worth of farm inputs and 60 million-worth of FMEs which will aid the ARBs and their agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) from the cultivation of their lands to the harvesting of their produce—increasing the efficiency of their production and lowering their operational costs.
Secretary Estrella acknowledged those ARBs who waited for more than a decade to be awarded with the land which they have toiled for so long. An ARB from Agusan del Sur even waited for 37 years—the longest time among all the other ARBs.
“Many of you waited for such a long time [for your land titles]. But today, this is history. The President could not allow you [ARBs] to wait any longer. He even instructed me to expedite the release of these land titles. That is why you will now be going home bringing with you your land titles which you have long been waiting for,” he proudly relayed to the ARBs.
Napoleon V. Ecargo, a 68-year-old farmer and ARB from Agusan del Sur, shared his story of patience and perseverance as he yearned for the day when he and his family will finally receive the land they have been praying for.
“Dugay-dugay na ni [land title] namong gipaabot. Maayo nalang gitabangan mi sa taga-DAR. Dako kaayo ang pasalamat namo kay gibayaran na sa gobyerno ang among bayronon sa Landbank para sa among yuta (We have already waited for a long time for this [land title]. And we are fortunate for the assistance given to us by DAR. We are very much thankful since we no longer have to pay Landbank—because the government has already paid our debts and bought our land for us,” expressed Ecargo with gratitude and relief evident in his smile.
According to Ecargo, the amount of money that he usually pays to the bank will now be converted to additional income for farmers like him, which is why, as a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW), instead of returning abroad to feed his family, he now opts to stay in the country and nurture his now legally-owned land.
The land title he holds is more than just a piece of paper—it is the fulfillment of a dream: that one day, farmers will not only labor to feed others, but also enjoy the fruits of their own hard work at their own table. (NJGD/PIA Caraga)