A total of 111 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in Sarangani Province received electronic land titles (e-titles) for the full ownership of agricultural lands, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) reported on Sunday.
In a press release, DAR said the distribution of land titles is part of its efforts to reinforce ARBs' individual ownership of the areas on which they are actively working.
The project was carried out as part of the Support to Parcelization of Land Through Individual Titling (SPLIT) project which aims to expedite the subdivision of collective or co-owned Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CCLOA) into individual land parcels and the issuance of individual titles.
"In 1996, FEIIMCO was awarded with 214 hectares. We encountered ups and downs as an ARB cooperative involving land ownership. But now differences and contentions will surely be avoided through the SPLIT Project and with God’s grace we proudly say that we have fully paid our amortization," former Chairperson of Fleischer Estate Integrated Multi-purpose Cooperative (FEIMCO) Anecito Hibanada said.
Hibanada further stated that despite the fact that the issued CCLOA granted them the ability to till their own lands, they had multiple disagreements due to several management concerns.
According to DAR, Roldan Ali, Al-Haj, DAR-12 Assistant Regional Director, noted how the ARBs profited from tilling their lands, as he had witnessed them able to provide for the needs of life, send their children to school, and enhance their living conditions at the ceremonial distribution of e-titles.
Sarangani's DAR provincial office has now distributed 807 e-titles to 555 beneficiaries covering an area of 816.2879 hectares.
Written By Dana Ebreo, DZRH News Online Intern
