By Christine Fabro
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Monday (Aug. 16) night said 516,000 hectares of land were distributed to about 405,800 farmers under the Duterte administration.
In President Rodrigo Duterte’s public address, DAR Secretary John Castriciones reported that the distribution of more than 1,800 Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) in North Cotabato was the biggest in history of agrarian reform in the country.
The CLOAs were personally delivered by the DAR officials to the beneficiaries under the DAR-to-Door program.
Over the course of the pandemic, Buhay sa Gulay was established to aid poor families who are living in urban areas. To date, there are 24 Buhay sa Gulay sites nationwide.
DAR also tapped the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and launched Balay Para Sa Magsasaka, which provided low cost housing for farmers or agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).
“Upang matugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga ARBs o magsasaka sa disenteng pamumuhay at pamamahay, ang DAR katuwang ang Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development at lokal na pamahalaan ay naglunsad ng programang pabahay o ang Balay Para Sa Magsasaka,” Castriciones said.
Nationwide, about 150 local government units (LGUs) have applied for the Balay Magsasaka program, but only 29 LGUs have qualified for it.
Some 240 cooperatives were also given the opportunity to sell their commodities to different government agencies and private organizations through the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty.
“Para masiguro na lahat ng agrarian reform beneficiaries ay nahahatiran ng mga suportang serbisyo, ang DAR ay nagsasagawa ng balidasyon ng mga existing CLOAs na in-issue ng ahensya. Nanguna na ang validation project ng mga lalawigan ng Cavite, Oriental Mindoro, at Nueva Vizcaya,” Castriciones said.
To date, there are 2.486 million agrarian reform beneficiaries from 1972 to 2020; 166,127 ARBs from 2016 since 2016; and 1.3 million or 53% ARBs are under 2,234 agrarian reform communities.
“Simula sa termino ni Pangulong Duterte, lumago ang bilang ng agrarian reform communities,” he added. – rir
