Manila: Close to 195,000 land titles have been distributed since President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assumed the presidency, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) announced Tuesday. The distribution marks a significant increase in agrarian reform efforts, aiming to boost agricultural productivity and rural development.
According to Philippines News Agency, Secretary Conrado Estrella III revealed in a news release that DAR's year-end data report recorded the distribution of 194,111 electronic titles (e-Titles), emancipation patents, and Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) across 229,546 hectares of farmlands. This initiative has benefitted 186,290 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) over the last two and a half years.
Estrella highlighted that this distribution represents a 1,100-percent increase compared to the previous administration's last semester, which saw 17,640 titles distributed, covering 26,403 hectares, to 17,549 ARBs. He emphasized the impact of this initiative by stating, "This is a big development in our all-out war against hunger and poverty since the number of ARBs we were able to activate and motivate to till their farm lots has increased by leaps and bounds."
In the initial months of Marcos' tenure, a 24-percent increase in land title distribution was observed, with 21,876 titles covering 25,159 hectares provided to 24,804 ARBs in the latter half of 2022. The year 2023 saw a record 296-percent increase, with 69,897 land titles covering 84,044 hectares distributed to 73,399 ARBs.
DAR achieved a milestone in 2024 by distributing 102,338 land titles over 120,343 hectares to 88,087 ARBs, reflecting a 480-percent increase from previous years. Estrella remarked, "With more hands tilling our farmlands, we will be able to produce more and spur rural development at a much quicker pace."
Of the total 194,111 land titles distributed, DAR allocated 132,393 e-titles covering 170,718 hectares to 124,651 ARBs under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling project. Additionally, 61,718 newly generated EPs and CLOA covering 58,828 hectares were distributed to 61,639 ARBs under the Regular Land Acquisition and Distribution program.
"This is a significant development in our relentless fight against hunger and poverty," Estrella reiterated, adding, "By empowering more ARBs to till their lands, we are not only fostering agricultural productivity but also promoting rural development at an accelerated pace."
