ROSALES, Pangasinan – A total of 563 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in this province personally received their land titles from Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella III, yesterday, December 28, 2022.
The distributed land titles, covering a total area of 217 hectares of agricultural land, are located in Tayug, Sto. Tomas, Balungao, Rosales, Umingan, and Lingayen.
Estrella said that of the 563 ARBs who were awarded land titles, 88 were given electronic land titles (e-titles) issued under the agency’s Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling or Project SPLIT.
“The 88 ARBs under the Project SPLIT were previously awarded lands under collective certificates of land ownership award (CCLOAs). This time, they were given individual e-titles after the department went through the process of subdividing the CCLOAs,” Estrella explains.
Estrella said the Project SPLIT will strengthen the ARB’s land tenure security and property rights to their lands.
The remaining 475 ARBs were awarded regular land titles or CLOAs issued under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Estrella stressed that the distribution activities are anchored on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s plans “to empower the farmers and boost the agricultural sector.”
Estrella also announced to the ARBs the positive news about the approval of the final reading of House Bill Number
6336, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, by the House of Representatives. The proposed bill aims to free the ARBs from the financial burden of paying loans extended in relation to awarded agricultural lands under the CARP.
“When this law is enacted, ARBs who have yet to be awarded agricultural lands from the CARP will receive so without any obligation for amortization,” Estrella explained.
According to Estrella, the proposed law exempts estate tax payments on awarded lands to ARBs.
