AGRARIAN reform beneficiaries will soon have their own houses after the government partnered with an Ayala-led property developer.
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Dec. 4 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and Bellavita Land Corp. for the development of the Balai Farmers Housing Program.
Agrarian Reform Secretary John R. Castriciones said the program aims to develop cheap and eco-friendly housing designs that come with production and income-generating facilities for beneficiaries.
He added the initiative is the first housing program for farmers in the country.
“The idea is to provide our farmers decent shelters as well as make them self-sufficient by providing each housing unit sufficient space for state-of-the-art gardening,” Mr. Castriciones said.
Mr. Castriciones said the housing program is a follow-up to DAR’s land distribution efforts.
“This project, the Balai Farmers Housing Program, is a means towards that end to keep them attached to their farm lots,” Mr. Castriciones said. “During the pandemic, they are the ones keeping food available on our table. This should prompt us to have a paradigm shift towards them. We should strengthen them and uplift their economic life.
DAR last month launched the P24.63 billion Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project, which aims to fast-track the distribution of individual land titles to 1.14 million agrarian reform beneficiaries.
The SPLIT project will cover 1.37 million hectares of land and will divide collective certificates of land ownership awarded under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program into individual land titles. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
