Normin nears land distribution target

TheMonitorMindanaoToday.com | Normin nears land distribution target 

By: Uriel Quilinguing

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of Agrarian Reform Northern Mindanao (DAR 10) has inched closer to its regional land acquisition and distribution (LAD) target of 329,975 hectares that was set about three decades ago, posting a 97.49-percent performance or a 321,678-hectare cumulative coverage, as of July, this year.

DAR 10 Assistant Regional Director for Operations Abdullah Linog, in a forum at a downtown mall here on Wednesday, July 29, expressed confidence the 100-percent mark could be achieved before the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ends in two years.

This was the DAR regional official’s response when asked for comment on the President’s pronouncement in a state-of-the-nation address that land distribution to landless tillers should end next year, though the ultimate emancipation of farmers is far from over. Land tenure improvement (LTI) must be pursued.

Some 8,297 hectares of alienable and disposable public and privately-owned lands included for agrarian reform coverage in Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental provinces have yet to be acquired and given to those who directly make arable areas productive.

Linog said there are public and privately-owned lands that have been acquired but lacks proper documentation and distributed lands to agrarian reform beneficiaries but payments to previous owners have not been made.

Camiguin, however, is an exception because in 2016 it was declared LAD and LTI-free, thus the province’s exclusion in DAR-10 updates on the issuance of emancipation patents and certificate of land ownership awards (EP/CLOA).

Since then, it has 3,443 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) with leasehold contracts of over 8,600 hectares and that 147 ARBs had received certificate of condonation with release of mortgage (CoCRoM) amounting to over P2.159 million.

Regionwide, DAR-10 had issued CoCRoM to 12,574 ARBs involving more than P794 million that covers over 21,214 hectares, pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 11953 (New Agrarian Reform Emancipation Act) which President Marcos signed three years ago.

“Land acquisition and distribution is just one of our three main programs,” Linog said, adding that support services to thousands of ARBs who have become farmers coops must be delivered in coordination to other government agencies.

Aside from land tenure security program that includes LAD, DAR has programs on agrarian justice delivery and package of services that include infrastructure projects, credit assistance, and rural enterprise development.

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