The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed a total of 211,751 land titles to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) nationwide for Calendar Year 2024. This includes 134,736 electronic titles (e-Titles) and 77,015 certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) under the regular land acquisition and distribution (LAD) components of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
DAR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research Office Atty. Luis Meinrado C. Pañgulayan reported this during the newly launched DAR radio program entitled DAR sa SOS over DZRH radio station on February 1, 2025.
He said that a total of 203,839 ARBs benefitted from the land title distribution, with 126,810 ARBs receiving titles under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project and 77,029 ARBs under the regular LAD program.
Pañgulayan emphasized that the DAR remains committed to promoting long-term agricultural productivity and economic stability among farmer-beneficiaries as DAR Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III affirmed to finish the land distribution program within the term of President Ferdinancd R. Marcos Jr.
“The CLOAs are subject to legal restrictions under agrarian law, meaning awarded lands cannot be sold, transferred, or encumbered without DAR approval. However, CLOAs may be transferred under certain conditions, such as through inheritance or succession, or after a specified period,” Pañgulayan stressed.
He further explained that ARBs could face disqualification for abandonment, misuse, illegal conversion of land for commercial or residential purposes, and other uses, and unauthorized sale of awarded land.
During the discussion, Pañgulayan also highlighted the implementation of Republic Act No. 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act (NAEA), through the issuance of Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgages (CoCRoM).
Under this law, all unpaid amortizations – including principal debt, interest, and surcharges – incurred by ARBs will be condoned. This policy relieves 610,054 ARBS tilling 1.173 million hectares of land nationwide from an estimated P57.56 billion in unpaid obligations.
“The DAR remains steadfast in its mission to implement agrarian reform, as mandated by the 1987 Constitution, through Land Tenure Improvement (LTI), Agrarian Justice and the coordinated delivery of essential Support Services to ARBs,” Pañgulayan said.
