At least 184 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) are now legal owners of the land they are tilling in Carmen town, North Cotabato province after the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) handed them titles over the weekend.
In a statement, Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer Evangeline Bueno said that certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs) covering 195.9 hectares of government-owned lands (GOLs) in the municipality were handed over to ARBs on Saturday.
The lands were lots of the Bureau of Plant Industry's (BPI-12) Aroman Research and Experiment Station in Barangay Aroman that were underutilized.
The representative for the third district of North Cotabato, Ma. Alana Samantha Talio Santos, who was present at the CLOA awarding ceremony, urged the ARBs not to sell or lease their lands but rather to make them productive.
Fulgencio Gepiala, an octogenarian beneficiary from Barangay Aroman, expressed his gratitude to the government for the land he now owns.
He stated that he is adamant about cultivating the land and making it productive for his children and grandchildren.
