The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said land parcelization and electronic title distribution have increased over the past 15 months.
"The record 1.87 percent increase in parcelization and electronic title distribution performance for the last 15 months compared to the record of the prior 15 months gives us a firm hope that we can meet our target," said DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella 3rd. Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella 3rd. Screengrab from House of Representatives
The distribution of e-titles and land subdivision is under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (Split) Project of the DAR.
Estrella said they aim to complete the parcelization of the remaining 1.2 million hectares (ha) in five years, which will benefit an estimated 1.074 million farmers-beneficiaries.
From January to October 2023, Estrella said that they were able to distribute 17,379 titles to 16,843 beneficiaries covering 15,817 ha of land.
For 2023, DAR aims to complete the subdivision of about 345,089 hectares of land and issue 134,000 individual titles to beneficiaries.
During a Senate hearing last week, Estrella said that the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program has been "derailed" in the past 20 years but vowed that they will work hard in addressing the situation.
"We are drowning with tremendous problems, but we are still breathing fine, and there are so many challenges, but there's no problem because, with the help of the Lord Almighty, the solutions are within reach," he said.
A review and assessment conducted by the Central Planning and Management Office regarding the target landholdings for the Split Project has revealed the need to intensify field data verification to ensure that individual electronic titles are delivered to qualified farmer-beneficiaries.
"As long as we remain focused on intensifying data verification and consolidation to establish the integrity of CCLOAs (Collective Certificates of Land Ownership Awards) and the data contained therein together with streamlining coordinative mechanisms with partner agencies and providing needed resources for the swift processing and issuance of electronic titles, we will succeed in giving our beneficiaries electronic land titles for their own parcels of land," said Estrella.
Source: The Manila Times