Duterte Vows to Continue Land Reform Program

President Rodrigo R. Duterte pledged to continue implementing the comprehensive agrarian reform program (CARP) in the country.

“I will continue implementing land reform,” he said during a ceremony in line with the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the government’s CARP under the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) held June 20 at the Cabatuan Multi-Purpose Gym in the municipality of Cabatuan, Iloilo.

Duterte led the distribution of 3,772 land titles comprised of emancipation patents (EPs) and certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) to 2,314 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Region 6.

A total of 1,775 CLOAs were distributed to 900 beneficiaries from the northern part of Negros Occidental, while 556 ARBs from the southern part of Negros Occidental received 938 CLOAs.

For Capiz, a total of 440 CLOAs were distributed to 367 beneficiaries; while 221 ARBs received 301 CLOAs.

Also, 186 CLOAs were distributed to 158 ARBs in Guimaras; 76 CLOAs to 63 ARBs from Antique; and 56 CLOAs to 49 beneficiaries from Aklan.

Meanwhile, Eduardo Venus, an agrarian reform beneficiary from Capiz, expressed his gratitude to the government for implementing CARP.

“Salamat, nga paagi sa titulo nga amon nabaton, lubos na kami nga mangin tag-iya sang duta nga amon gina-umhan (Gratitude, that through the land titles that we have received, we are already full-fledged owners of the land that we have tilled),” he said.

According to DAR-6, EPs and CLOAs are the proofs of ownership granted to landless farmers who are beneficiaries of the government’s CARP.

With ownership bestowed on them, the ARBs’ tenure on the land they have been tilling for so long will be secured. (LTP/PIA-Iloilo)