The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), in its aim to give assurance to farmers to own the land they till, was able to distribute Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to 12 farmer-beneficiaries in seven villages of Esperanza town in Agusan del Sur within the first quarter of 2017.
Total landholdings distributed during the period covered 19.0646 hectares of agricultural land in the villages of Tagabase, Remedios, Nato, Mc Arthur, San Jose, Bakingking and Duangan.
During the distribution of certificates, CLOA holders were informed of their rights and responsibilities as Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) of DAR.
The office also emphasized that the awarded landholdings should be kept productive and should not be sold or leased, as this will defeat the purpose of awarding the land to them.
“We, in the department did our best to help you become landowners yourselves from processing the necessary documents until the generation of CLOA. On your part, you should also strive hard to make sure that this piece of paper be not taken away from you,” said Chito Tubin, one of the OIC-Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officers of the municipality of Esperanza.
CLOA is the issued land title under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program that will provide security of tenure to farmers over the land that they cultivate. (Hazel Hope V. Bautista, DAR-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
