The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) will be distributing land titles to around 386 farmers in the Quezon province on Wednesday, May 2.
Agrarian Reform Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research David D. Erro said that the department will be giving away 654 hectares (ha) of agricultural lands and 402 certification of land ownership in the municipality of Mulanay, as ordered by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
“We will have a [land] distribution likely twice a month. Some of the covered lands [DAR will be distributing] are privately owned lands, [but] we will set aside the government-owned lands [for] Mindanao,” he added.
The DAR will be engaging local stakeholders in Mindanao by the end of this month to discuss the agrarian reform on government-owned lands in the region.
Agrarian reform Secretary John R. Castriciones said that they will still have to come up with their own data before the department can give out an estimate of how much land they can distribute to the farmer beneficiaries.
“[I]f that (agrarian reform) is the policy of the Duterte administration by our president, to give it to our farmer beneficiaries, then that can be done because that is valid, legal and allowed by law,” he added.
Basing from their own records, Mr. Castriciones said that there are 500,000 ha nationwide which can be turned over to farmer beneficiaries.
“That’s a big area. Our target is to cover 50,000 ha. If it’s a government-owned land, it’s no longer covered by the notice of coverage (NOC),” he added.
“Right then and there, we can already distribute these to the farmers.”
An NOC is only issued to private agricultural lands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program or Republic Act 6657, which dsitributes both agricultural lands to landless farmers and farmworkers. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

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