6,000 Land Hectares Up for Distribution

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)- Negros Occidental-1 targets to distribute around 6,000 hectares of land this year in the northern part of the province.

DAR-Negros Occidental-1 Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Teresita Mabunay affirmed that as of May 31 this year, DAR has already delivered around 895 hectares of land.

Since the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in 1988, some 72,000 hectares including land holdings from Don Salvador Benedicto to San Carlos City have been distributed.

In a press conference, Mabunay disclosed that holders of certificates of land ownership awards (CLOA), who benefitted from CARP, involve around 52,000 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs).

About 1,082 ARBs, on the other hand, have benefitted under the operation land transfer.

The remaining land balance to be distributed is around 54,000 hectares.

“We’re still working on with the 54,000 hectares magnitude of land holdings for coverage under the CARP. In other words, the CARP should continue to enable us to finish the land balance of 54,000 hectares, ” Mabunay stressed.

Mabunay likewise belied feedback that CARP is a failure.

“We have contributed and improved the lives of our ARBs through the various support services that we have extended and provided to them,” she said.

Among the support services DAR has offered include: Linking Small Farmers to Market (LinksFarm), Community-Managed Potable Water and Sanitation Hygiene (CPWASH) Project, Village Level Farm-Focused Enterprise Development (VLFED), and Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS). (LTP/LML-PIA6 Negros Occidental)